Michigan State Basketball: Report card for home thumping of Northwestern

Bench

The Spartans got to give their bench plenty of time on Wednesday night since they were up big and Foster Loyer even had one of his best games of the season.

Foster Loyer: A-

The game Loyer had was nothing short of impressive as the backup point guard played the most minutes off the bench (16) and had 12 points, four assists and two rebounds. He was hot from deep, hitting four threes in six attempts and this is exactly what Tom Izzo wants to see moving forward. This is what he was brought to Michigan State to do: shoot.

Marcus Bingham Jr.: A-

Another pleasant surprise was the play of Marcus Bingham Jr. who played just five minutes against Minnesota off the bench, but he saw 15 minutes on Wednesday. He had seven points, seven rebounds and three blocks and looked like he was fighting for that starting job back. Once he adds some weight and gets his conditioning right, he’s going to be a force.

Rocket Watts: C+

After a couple of solid scoring performances in a row, Rocket Watts took a step back with just two points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor. He was 0-for-5 from deep and seemed to be pressing all night as he was whistled for three offensive fouls on attempted drives to the hoop. He can do better than what he showed.

Thomas Kithier: C+

You don’t often see Thomas Kithier attempt three shots and even more rare were his three misses from around the basket. He struggled on offense but he had four rebounds and was aggressive on the glass which led to this grade instead of a C or C-.

Kyle Ahrens: B

It was nice to see Kyle Ahrens back on the floor and breathing life into the Spartans when they needed it at the end of the first half. He had three points, three assists and a rebound and looked energized in his first eight minutes back from injury.

Julius Marble: B+

All aboard the Julius Marble hype train. This kid is going to be really good when he grows into a role and takes over in the post. Michigan State will need a big body to dominate when Xavier Tillman is gone and he continues to show why Tom Izzo was so high on him this summer. He had six points and a rebound in seven minutes and his technical foul for hanging on the rim somehow ignited the crowd and energized the team.