Sitting at No. 18 in the country and 10-2 on the year with just one non-conference game remaining, Michigan State basketball is looking like a force to be reckoned with in the college hoops landscape.
There has been plenty of talk about what the difference is between this year's team and the past four which fell short of expectations -- especially the 2023-24 team which began the season ranked in the top five. A lot has been rebounding, some has been the newcomers stepping up, and a majority has been the rise of some returners like Jaden Akins, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, Tre Holloman, and Xavier Booker.
Another major upgrade to this year's team compared to the past four has been the bench play. For the first time in years, it feels like Michigan State is as deep as anyone in the Big Ten.
In fact, the Spartans have 10 guys who average at least 13.8 points per game and nine of them have played in every game. Jase Richardson missed one game this season with an injury but he's second on the team in minutes. Oh, and he comes off the bench.
Michigan State's bench play has been fantastic and a reason that the Spartans seem to wear teams down throughout games. We've seen this team just outlast a handful of opponents this year because of that depth and bench play and it's a big reason why we might see this team pushing for championships in March.
The Spartans average 82.2 points per game and 46.6 of it comes from guys who don't start games. That's an incredible number.
When you can rely on your bench to score about 50 points per game, the starters have to be just OK and there's a good chance you win most games. So when the starters are playing well, that's almost a guaranteed win. This is why Michigan State has been running away from teams in the second half this season. In fact, they have done just that in four straight games.
We have seen guys like Carr, Booker, Holloman, and Richardson post career-highs off the bench this season. We have also seen Fidler move to the bench and see his confidence rise. Having these types of performances off the bench nightly is huge. And it's dangerous for opponents.
If Michigan State is going to contend for a Big Ten title this year, this needs to continue. In previous years, Izzo talked about shortening his bench. This year, that's not an option.