Michigan State Basketball: Player grades for blowout win over Oakland
![EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 08: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up prior to a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Breslin Center on December 8, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 08: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up prior to a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Breslin Center on December 8, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/3a6b8630d75200f71dc78419fd8797ade10ec9c99306c91bf4b37f9962e9d61b.jpg)
Michigan State basketball picked up a win over Oakland on Saturday afternoon in Detroit. Which Spartans graded the highest?
The annual meeting between Michigan State and Oakland wasn’t quite as close as it usually is, but this was the kind of win the Spartans needed, beating the Grizzlies 72-49.
Just for good measure, Steven Izzo saw some action and even grabbed three rebounds in the final couple of minutes and Brock Washington tossed an alley-oop to Malik Hall in the final seconds which made Tom Izzo’s blood boil — but he’ll need to ease up because these kids rarely see the court.
Cassius Winston didn’t have his best game and after reading a feature story from the Detroit Free Press, it’s clear that he’s hurting more than he has been letting on. The loss of his brother has taken the wind out of his sails and while he tries to put on a good face for his teammates and his coaches, he just doesn’t have the strength right now to be everything everyone needs.
Even with Cassius having one of his worst games of the season, the Spartans found a balanced scoring attack with only one player (Aaron Henry) on double figures and he only had 10.
This was a good pick-me-up game which could go a long way in terms of confidence and Izzo has to feel good about his team winning comfortably with no Rocket Watts and a struggling Winston.
Who graded the highest in the Spartans’ blowout win over Oakland?