Exhibition play fired up for Michigan State on Friday night as the Spartans took on Incarnate Word for a bit of an impromptu game for Izzone Campout attendees and season ticket holders.
Michigan State went on to stomp Incarnate Word 89-59 to really shake off some rust before a couple of tougher exhibition games later this month, and it was a fairly complete effort on both ends. Tom Izzo has to be pleased with how his team played down a man,.
What’d we learn from Michigan State’s 89-59 win over Incarnate Word?
1. Jordan Scott has All-Big Ten potential
If I’m Izzo, I’m ecstatic about what I saw from Jordan Scott. The sophomore shooting guard looked like the best overall player on the floor not named Jeremy Fears Jr. and there’s a legit case to be made for him being the second-best player on this team this season. He was a monster.
On defense, he was smothering, and on offense, he finished with 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting and 4-for-6 from deep. He looked like a much more polished player which is impressive considering he was already really good last season as a true freshman.
The sophomore has legitimate All-Big Ten potential.
2. Jesse McCulloch is further along than we thought
When Izzo announced that Cam Ward would miss the exhibition opener and Jesse McCulloch would be starting against Incarnate Word in his place, there was a mixed reaction. Many were worried that it was McCulloch starting and not Kaleb Glenn (who did look a little rusty), but the redshirt sophomore showed us just why he earned that role and it wasn’t just a default start because he’s been around long enough.
McCulloch finished with a game-high 20 points and five rebounds while shooting 8-for-13 from the floor and 2-for-3 from deep. He looked a lot more polished than at any point in his redshirt freshman year. This is the potential that we’ve heard all about.
If McCulloch maintains this confidence and plays like this against better competition, there’s going to be a real battle for that starting power forward spot.
3. The freshmen were fun to watch
The freshman class was a mixed bag, but there’s no doubt about it, they’re going to be fun.
Carlos Medlock Jr. was. a little chaotic and out of control at times, but it may have been a first-game jitters type of situation for him. He had four points, three assists, and three turnovers in 18 minutes and he shot 2-for-7 from the floor. Julius Avent looked solid in limited action, finishing with four points and two rebounds on 2-of-3 shooting — he also had two fouls and two turnovers so he wasn’t fully comfortable yet.
On the flip side, Jasiah Jervis looked like a guy who can go get a bucket when needed, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and his confidence increased throughout the game. Ethan Taylor may have been the star of the group as he looked like the best center on the floor on Friday night. He had four points, nine rebounds, and two assists while being a really good rim protector and he looked really comfortable on both ends — he looked like he belonged unlike Xavier Booker as a true freshman.
Real competition (UConn) will tell us a lot more about this freshman class.
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