Michigan State basketball: Report card from massive win over Kentucky

Bench

We didn’t see a ton from the bench in this one as only one guy finished with more than 10 minutes of action against the Wildcats. But I’ll still do my best to grade the five bench players who saw the court in the Champions Classic, from most minutes played to least.

Jaden Akins: B

Jaden Akins didn’t exactly shoot the lights out (2-for-8) but he played solid defense, grabbed seven rebounds, and went 3-for-4 from the line. He also had one of the more impressive reverse layups I’ve seen in the first half. We’ll see Akins shake off the rust soon.

Jaxon Kohler: B-

Many were worried about Jaxon Kohler’s defense after struggling against Drew Timme, but he held his own in this one when called upon. He didn’t do anything crazy, so his grade isn’t high, but he didn’t get dominated like he did against Gonzaga. And he grabbed three boards. Kohler gave nine good minutes off the bench.

Pierre Brooks: B

I really wish we would see more of Pierre Brooks because I think he can give this team a good amount of scoring off the bench. He went 1-for-2 from the floor in six minutes, but he looks comfortable out there on the big stage. I’d like to see him get somewhere in the 15-20 minute range or at the very least 10-15. Brooks was solid in limited action.

Carson Cooper: C-

Not a great showing from the freshman, but you have to realize that this was his first legitimate action against a top-five team.

Tre Holloman: C

We didn’t see much of Tre Holloman so it’s hard to give him a grade so I’ll go with the average.