Michigan State Basketball: Player grades for Big Ten road-opening win at Northwestern
Bench
We saw Foster Loyer come off the bench ice-cold to hit four big free throws down the stretch and Malik Hall had the put-back dunk of his life. How did these guys grade out?
Kyle Ahrens: C
We are all still waiting for the Kyle Ahrens that could contribute 5-7 points off the bench with regularity and become an outside threat and energy guy, but he just seems a step slow on defense and his ability to drive has been slashed ever since that back injury took place. He still had three points but not much else to show for on the stat sheet in a positive light.
Malik Hall: B-
If not for that put-back in the final minutes off an Aaron Henry miss, Malik Hall may have finished somewhere in the C+ range, but he came up clutch and was in the right place at the right time. Hall’s defense is still a major work in progress and just seems to get beat up down low and off the dribble, but that’s going to improve in time when he gets adjusted to the game speed. He had five points, three rebounds, two assists and a block but his foul trouble continued.
Thomas Kithier: B
Has there been a more steady player over the past few games than Thomas Kithier? He’s not great but he’s not bad. He’s been just about what you’d expect from a big man off the bench, maybe slightly better. He is one of the best finishers the Spartans have around the bucket and finished 3-for-5 from the floor with six points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. He could become a solid 10-point, eight-rebound guy by the end of the season, which would be huge.
Next. 3 takeaways from MSU's win at Northwestern. dark
Foster Loyer: B-
I know what you’re saying: How the heck does Foster Loyer only get a B- if he played three minutes and scored seven points? The answer is simple: look at the run Northwestern went on in about a minute when he was subbed in for Cassius in the second half. It was actually just over 1:30 in the second half when Cassius came out and he was put in, a 47-31 lead became 47-41 in the blink of an eye and Foster’s inability to facilitate and his turnovers contributed to that. He still finished with a big 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down and four big free throws to ice the Wildcats.