Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Baylor

From start to finish, Saturday's Michigan State basketball win over No. 6 Baylor was one of the most impressive victories of the Tom Izzo era -- at least in recent memory.

The Spartans raced out to a 5-0 lead and then never looked back. They were up by 19 in the first 10 minutes of the game and went into the locker room at halftime with a 28-point lead. The game was pretty much over at that point as the Spartans just cruised to a 24-point win, 88-64.

This was one of the most impressive wins by an Izzo-coached team in years, dominating an undefeated top-10 team from start to finish with maybe one or two runs by the Bears all game long that were quickly answered by the Spartans.

What did we learn from this big win by the Spartans?

3. The defense was incredible

Watching Michigan State defend at such an elite level was refreshing. The Spartans' defense has been solid all year, but not quite as dominant as it was on Saturday.

The Spartans finished with an incredible 15 steals and six blocks. They also forced 21 turnovers by the Bears which just goes to show that when this defense plays to its potential, it can shut just about anyone down. Baylor had one of the best offenses in the country coming in to Saturday's game.

That's a Tom Izzo-coached defense, folks.

If this defense continues to play at this elite level moving forward, I can't see many teams that will hang with the Spartans.