Michigan State Basketball: Report card for tough loss at Indiana

Bench

Two freshmen dominated the minutes off the bench while a couple of sophomores were relatively quiet. The bench finished with 10 total points, shooting just 3-for-9 from the floor and most of the misses were on good looks.

Malik Hall: B+

I was surprised to see Malik Hall get the most minutes off the bench but he didn’t do a bad job. He was actually solid and his defense continues to improve as he blocked a couple of shots and held his own against Trayce Jackson-Davis for the most part. Sure, there were some iffy moments, but he showed potential on defense. Offensively, he handles the ball well for a forward and he had a nice drive and dunk in the second half. He may not be there yet, but Malik is going to be special in East Lansing.

Rocket Watts: B

Rocket Watts is coming along nicely and he had another couple of plays that made you go “wow” against the Hoosiers. One was a huge step-back 3-pointer that gave Michigan State its first lead of the game in the second half and the others were just solid defensive plays. He also hit a couple of clutch free throws and doesn’t seem to be fazed by road environments. Tom Izzo needs him to shoot more, though.

Thomas Kithier: C+

The progression of Thomas Kithier is coming along slowly. He didn’t fare well on Thursday against the Hoosiers, but he has the potential to provide a punch off the bench. He had three points and a rebound but his defensive struggles were too much to overcome.

Foster Loyer: C

Foster Loyer didn’t have a great game, missing a couple of wide-open 3-pointers in the first half which would have been huge for momentum. He did have a steal, but was otherwise quiet in five minutes.

Julius Marble: C

We didn’t really see much of Julius Marble so it’s tough to judge him here. He had a couple of rebounds and a foul but it’ll be nice to see him get more minutes.