Sunday’s Michigan State basketball game didn’t exactly go as planned for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. Michigan held on in a tight battle, pulling away thanks to some late free throws, 90-80.
The Spartans played a pretty good game, for the most part, because scoring 80 points on the road against the No. 3 team in the country isn’t exactly something most teams can do. Michigan State is not most teams, however.
Let’s dissect the final report card from Michigan State’s 10-points season finale loss.
Jeremy Fears Jr.: B+
Izzo said that Jeremy Fears played his (expletive) off on Sunday “99 percent of the time” and he said that he didn’t believe his incident with Elliot Cadeau was purposeful, which I agree with, but this wasn’t his best game. How good do you have to be where a 22-point, 9-assist game is considered less than an A? Pretty dang good. Fears may not win Big Ten Player of the Year, but he’s going to be an All-Big Ten first-teamer and All-American. His 5-for-13 shooting day on Sunday hurt a little bit, though.
Jaxon Kohler: A
This was the type of game that Jaxon Kohler needed heading into one-and-done time. The senior big man had his best game in months, scoring 23 points with eight rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting. He also had three assists and a block and didn’t turn the ball over once despite facing some of the best defensive bigs in the country. Kohler may have just played his best game of the season and he deserves his flowers.
Jordan Scott: B-
Jordan Scott seems to have hit a bit of a wall offensively, but he needs to shake that off before the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State needs him to make some shots instead of going 1-for-7 in one of the biggest games of the season. Thankfully Scott is more than just an offensive weapon — he had two rebounds, two blocks, and two steals
Coen Carr: B
Coen Carr will be accused of going ghost mode on Sunday afternoon, which he did a little bit, but he still made some big plays and he’s getting better as a rebounder. Carr had just six points on 3-of-8 shooting, but he grabbed seven boards and was really good on the glass. Unfortunately, he’s going to be trolled endlessly for his slip on a Yaxel Lendeborg drive.
Carson Cooper: A
I’ll say this again: Carson Cooper may be the most improved player in the country. The senior big man had 19 points and six rebounds and shot over 50 percent from the floor. Cooper held his own in the post on both ends of the floor, but he was in foul trouble which is why he played the least minutes of all the starters. Still, really good game from the senior.
Kur Teng: B-
Kur Teng’s shot was off for most of the game, but he did hit a couple of big threes. He was 2-for-5 from deep, but just 2-for-8 from the floor. He finished with eight points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal, but he’s in there to make shots and he didn’t do enough of that on Sunday.
Cam Ward: C
I try not to go lower than a C for most players unless they cost Michigan State a win, which is rare for one player to do. Cam Ward had no points and a rebound with four fouls in nine minutes. He didn’t play very well and he was a foul machine.
Denham Wojcik: C
No points, no assists, no rebounds, and a turnover and foul. It wasn’t the best stat line for the backup point guard, but that’s kind of what we’ve grown to expect. That’s not a knock on him, he just doesn’t have the size to really hang with some of the more aggressive Big Ten point guards.