For the first time in eight appearances, Michigan State basketball failed to take care of Michigan at the Breslin Center. The Wolverines came in and left with an 83-71 win.
It was one of the worst performances that the Spartans have had all year and it showed on the scoreboard. A second-half comeback effort fell short after trailing by 16 after 20 minutes.
How does the final report card look?
Jaxon Kohler — B
Another one of those “it wasn’t his worst game” performances, but Jaxon Kohler was inconsistent again, going 4-for-13 from the field with 12 points, five rebounds, and a block. His 3-point shooting struggles continued as he went just 2-for-7 from deep. It’s been tough to watch him hit a rough patch recently, but he might just be coming out of it now.
Jeremy Fears — A
There may not be a better point guard in America right now, and while I’d like to give him his third straight A+ for yet another career game, Michigan State didn’t win which kept him from that. He did everything he could, but all he needed was a win to make this a perfect performance. He shot 9-for-20 from the floor and finished with 31 points and seven assists. Fears is playing like an All-American.
Coen Carr — B+
Coen Carr was one of a few true bright spots for the Spartans in the Michigan loss. He scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting and he grabbed seven big rebounds. You can’t question Carr’s motor, and his will to win, but he missed a couple of important shots that would’ve changed the momentum — including two big free throws.
Carson Cooper — C+
Carson Cooper had his fair share of struggles against Michigan as well, scoring just six points with two rebounds and three turnovers. The Spartans just need more from him.
Jordan Scott — A-
How good was Jordan Scott on Friday night? He earned some recognition after the loss from Tom Izzo as the Hall of Famer hinted that he may be making a change to the starting lineup. Replacing Divine Ugochukwu with Scott would give the team a nice shot in the arm and it would give the Spartans their backup point guard back.
Divine Ugochukwu — C
Ugochukwu didn’t exactly show up the way Izzo would’ve hoped. He scored zero points with two assists in 12 minutes, and he took just two shots. He needs to be better.
Kur Teng — C
It’s hard to remember that Kur Teng was even on the field. He didn’t have much of an impact, good or bad, and finished with zero points, two assists, and a rebound in 12 minutes. Teng is there to provide an offensive spark, and when he’s not doing that, he’s not doing his job. He didn’t do his job on Friday.
Jesse McCulloch — C+
Jesse McCulloch didn’t play much, but he did hit a couple of big free throws. Unfortunately, he did have a turnover and had some defensive struggles against Aday Mara.
Cam Ward — C+
Cam Ward just didn’t look very comfortable out there on Friday, turning the ball over three times in eight minutes. He did have six rebounds which kept him from a lower grade, but he needs to snap out of this little slump that he’s in.