Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from painful win over High Point

1. Marcus Bingham Jr., Max Christie are clearly can’t-lose pieces

When Tom Izzo announced that Michigan State would be down Marcus Bingham Jr. and Max Christie against High Point, everyone echoed the same sentiment: “Thankfully this is High Point and not a Big Ten opponent.”

Well, their absences against High Point nearly cost the Spartans a win against their final non-conference opponent which was 6-6 on the year and a 22.5-point underdog.

Michigan State looked lost defensively without two of their best defenders. Missing the potential Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year happened to be more impactful against a clearly inferior opponent than people expected. This just goes to show that Michigan State cannot afford to lose Bingham or Christie this season.

On defense, the 3-point line wasn’t defended as well as it should have been and there was no shot-blocking presence in the paint. Christie and Bingham would have instantly solved that.

Moreover, Mady Sissoko struggled mightily behind Julius Marble which just goes to show how important Bingham is.

Let’s hope this team can remain healthy from this point out because this High Point win was excruciating without two key players.