Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Illinois

1. The starting five is gelling at the right time

“Maybe Michigan State just isn’t as good as we thought.”

That was the common theme to start the season as the Spartans struggled against teams like Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Duke and struggled to really handle lesser teams with complete games on a regular basis.

And then something clicked recently.

There’s no telling what it could have been, but this team looks like it’s having fun for the first time this season and Thursday’s game was a perfect example. Illinois is a team on the rise and one to not take lightly and the final result was never in doubt. The Spartans controlled the game from the opening tip until the final buzzer.

Defensively, they stymied 7-footer Kofi Cockburn who was averaging 16 points and almost 10 rebounds heading into this one and held the Illinois offense to 29 percent shooting and 3-for-28 from 3-point land.

A lot of this success can be attributed to the starting five which played yet another complete game as every player but Marcus Bingham Jr. scored in double figures, paced by 40 combined points between Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman.

Gabe Brown is gaining confidence and Aaron Henry has been solid lately, playing some top-tier basketball. And don’t knock Bingham Jr.’s zero points because he focused on his defense and held his own against Cockburn with five blocks and 12 rebounds.

If you’re Tom Izzo, you have to feel good about your starting five moving forward into Big Ten play.