Although Michigan State basketball was handed its first unofficial loss of the season on Tuesday night, I was able to conjure up some positive takeaways from the 76-69 final.
Michigan State held its own in the second half against the Huskies while shooting under 40 percent from the field. UConn shot slightly better and took advantage of its free throws, making over 75 percent to the Spartans' 66 percent.
Anyways, back to the positive takeaways.
1. Jordan Scott looks like he can make an immediate impact
I came away pleasantly surprised with one player on Tuesday night: Jordan Scott.
The freshman wing wasn't expected to have a major impact this season, but judging by the way he played in 15 minutes of work against UConn, I'd expect that to change. He looked like a guy who gives it his all on every possession and will out-hustle opponents for rebounds and loose balls. He also wasn't afraid to shoot, going 2-for-5 from the floor.
Scott finished with six points, four rebounds, and three steals. He's going to become a fan favorite almost immediately.
2. Trey Fort is looking like a starter
While this also includes a negative in the fact that Kur Teng is struggling to stand out as the team's best shooter, it does mean that the starting five is looking locked in for the regular season.
Teng started both exhibition games, but he was outplayed by Trey Fort in each contest. On Tuesday, Fort finished with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting while Teng was 0-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-4 from the free throw line. Just not a great showing for Teng, but Fort looks the part.
I like an offense with Fort starting at the two and getting 10-plus shots per game.
3. MSU played a C- game and only lost by 7
If you're looking for arguably the biggest positive from Michigan State's loss on Tuesday night at UConn, it would have to be the fact that the Spartans played a C/C- game, and still kept it close against the No. 4 team in the nation on the road.
Obviously we don't take that as a victory, but losing by just seven after playing as poorly as the Spartans played, and missing 15 free throws, shows that this team has a high ceiling.
If the Spartans played a B/B+ game, we might be talking about a comeback win.