Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Michigan

1. The toughness is back

Early on, it looked like Michigan State was going to get manhandled in the post by Moussa Diabate and Hunter Dickinson. Those two were getting whatever they wanted in the paint and it felt like it was going to be a long day, but Marcus Bingham Jr. was still playing well and blocking shots.

Rebounding was slightly concerning as Michigan was getting a lot of boards and loose balls, but something clicked in the middle of the first half.

The crowd started getting into it and the Spartans fed off the energy. From about midway through the first half on, Michigan State was the tougher team and it looked like that toughness really wore Michigan down in the second half.

Michigan State was diving for loose balls, grabbing offensive boards, not allowing any easy buckets, and closing out on shooters. The Spartans were out-toughing Michigan fairly clearly.

Dating back to the second half against Illinois, the Spartans have been trending in the right direction, toughness-wise, for about three straight halves and five out of the past six. That’s a good sign because Michigan State is nearly impossible to beat when it’s the toughest team on the floor.

This is the brand of Michigan State basketball that Tom Izzo loves — just look at the above fist pump.