From the jump, Michigan State basketball was never in danger of losing to Toledo, but you just know that Tom Izzo wasn’t pleased with the second-half performance as the Spartans cruised to a 92-69 win.
While Michigan State “cruised” to a big win, it felt like it was coasting in the second half.
After building a 32-point lead in the second half, Michigan State just looked checked out in the final 15, or so, minutes with turnovers, missed open shots, and just lazy defense. That can’t happen moving forward, and Izzo will likely address that in the post-game.
Here are some more important observations I made on Tuesday night.
1. The second-half effort just wasn’t it
The first half of Tuesday night’s game was one of the best that Michigan State has played all season. Not only did the Spartans score their most first-half points (58) on the season thus far, but they also held Toledo to just 28 points. It looked like Michigan State was on track to win by 30-plus if it just maintained that lead in the second half, but the effort just wasn’t great.
You could tell the team was frustrated as it watched Toledo go on a 13-1 run at one point, but fortunately the Spartans were playing a MAC team and not a Big Ten opponent.
This second-half effort will probably draw some heat in the post-game press conference.
2. Kur Teng continues to play with confidence
Aside from an 0-for-5 performance against Duke a few games ago, Kur Teng has been looking much more confident than he did in the first few games of the year — including preseason play.
Excluding the Duke debacle, Teng has made seven of his last nine threes. He’s beginning to look like the 3-point specialist that Izzo raved about before the season. If he continues to gain confidence, Teng could be a real threat off the bench.
Now it’s time to work on Trey Fort’s confidence.
3. This may end up being one of Izzo’s best rebounding teams
It’s honestly incredible to watch this team attack the glass every game. Outside of a lapse or two, Michigan State has out-toughed everyone it‘s faced this season outside of Duke — that was an even battle. This team dominated the glass once again, getting essentially everything it wanted. The Spartans out-rebounded Toledo 54-24. That’s almost unheard of.
Even more impressive were Michigan State’s 18 offensive rebounds. That’s the effort you want to see from a young team like this one. Unfortunately, the turnover issue continued against the Rockets and a sloppy second half took some of the luster away from the Spartans’ rebounding dominance.
Cutting those turnovers in half would have made this a 40-point win with how well Michigan State was attacking the boards.