Everything that could go Michigan State basketball’s way on Tuesday afternoon did just that. The Spartans dominated from start to finish, obliterating East Carolina 89-56 to improve to 6-0.
The 6-0 start wasn’t exactly on anyone’s bingo card when the season began because of that loaded non-conference schedule, but Michigan State has taken care of its first two ranked opponents and will get another chance on Thursday against No. 16 North Carolina.
There was plenty to like in Tuesday’s win which was never close, and probably should’ve been even more of a blowout, but Tom Izzo emptied the bench near the end and took his foot off the gas.
Here are my thoughts from the dominant win.
1. Divine Ugochukwu is getting comfortable
We can safely call this one the “Divine Ugochukwu game” because the sophomore guard had himself a breakout performance, setting a career high in points with 16 on 6-of-7 shooting. He was 3-for-4 from deep and looked like a legitimate scoring option in the backcourt. It feels like he’s finally getting comfortable in the offense, and he’s a plus defender, too.
Early in the season, I was a little worried that he wasn’t going to be able to back up Jeremy Fears Jr. effectively because the offense was a little disjointed with him at the point, but he’s settled in and now looks like one of the best backup point guards in the Big Ten.
I want to see more of this Ugochukwu moving forward.
2. Jaxon Kohler’s improvement has been incredible
Last season, Jaxon Kohler served as a role player in the paint, showing a little inconsistency with his shot despite having solid post moves. He shared a frontcourt with Szymon Zapala and Carson Cooper and his minutes weren’t where he wanted them to be.
This year? He’s a completely different player. Kohler is a monster on the glass, he can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, and he’s a threat to score whenever he gets it in the paint.
The senior big man might be the most improved player on the team (along with Fears), and he finished Tuesday’s contest with 16 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals and didn’t miss a single one of his six shot attempts (including making all four threes).
3. This team is Final Four good
Is this a way-too-early overreaction? Maybe, but it’s still accurate.
Michigan State came into the season with mid-level expectations as a top-five team in the Big Ten, and some experts didn’t even think the Spartans should be ranked. Six games into the year, there are very few weaknesses on the roster, and the team is strong offensively, locks down defensively, gets out and runs, and rebounds at a high level. There aren’t many things the Spartans can’t do.
If Michigan State can start making threes consistently like it did on Tuesday against East Carolina (13-for-28), there won’t be many teams that will be able to slow the Spartans down.
This team is legitimately Final Four good, compared to the preseason Sweet 16 ceiling it was given.