Michigan State Basketball: Report card for blowout of Charleston Southern

Starters

Overall, the starters played well and Xavier Tillman had one heck of a bounce-back game. Cassius Winston did Cassius Winston things and even addressed the crowd afterward and thanked them for all of the support through this rough time for him. They were also without Aaron Henry who sat after tweaking his ankle against Seton Hall.

Cassius Winston: B

If I could grade Cassius strictly on personality and the fact that he took the time to thank fans, coaches and teammates after the game at midcourt, he’d get an A+, but that’s not how this works. He played well, but he tried to force a couple of long passes that uncharacteristically sailed over streaking teammates’ heads. He still finished with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds, but he had four turnovers. He did shoot 4-for-9 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep.

Rocket Watts: B-

It’s fairly obvious that Rocket Watts is forcing too much on offense. He has struggled to get his shot to fall and floaters that are actually good looks are either coming up way too short or clanging off the backboard. Once he finds some confidence on offense, he’s going to be a terror. He still finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists and the speed he plays with is much-needed at the guard positions.

Gabe Brown: B+

This was one of the best games of Gabe Brown’s young career and you just get that sense that he’s just getting started. He finished with 12 points, six rebounds, an assist and a block in his first career start and he only attempted one 3-pointer — a miss. He flashed his freakish athleticism with some impressive dunks and his defense continues to get better with him utilizing his length. This kid is only getting better.

Thomas Kithier: B-

One of the more consistent players on the team, Thomas Kithier is money within five feet and he always seems to get a few free layups and dunks each game. He had just four points on 2-of-2 shooting in 17 minutes and he may have been in Tom Izzo’s doghouse for some reason or another (potentially a missed defensive assignment). He had seven rebounds and a block as well.

Xavier Tillman: A

What a game by Xavier. He looked terrible against Seton Hall and probably played the worst game of his Spartan career, but followed that up with one of his best. He finished with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and had 10 rebounds. He added four assists and a block and looked for his shot more than he did against the Pirates and even had one of the most impressive dribble-drive, spin-to-score moves I’ve seen from a big man in years.