Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from first Big Ten win over Penn State
Michigan State basketball picked up a big win over Penn State on Thursday night, 92-61, dominating from start to finish. The Spartans raced out to a 51-26 lead at halftime and then only built on that in the second half.
The offense flourished for a fifth straight game and it was nice to see guys other than Tyson Walker stepping up to have career games.
What did we have from Michigan State's 31-point win over Penn State?
1. Jaden Akins is slowly getting his confidence back
After starting the season slowly, Jaden Akins looks like he's gaining confidence back and that was on display on Thursday night.
While he didn't put up monster numbers, by any means, he was making some really nice plays that we haven't seen from him consistently this season. He was flashing some filthy stepback moves and making defenders look silly. He needs to do more of this, but this felt like just the start.
Thought this was the most comfortable Jaden Akins has looked with the ball in his hands all year. The two step back threes were pro moves. Ball on a string, creates space with multiple moves and finishes smoothly. Absolutely filthy stuff 😤 pic.twitter.com/UPllNxYFQe
— DK (@SpartanHoops_DK) January 5, 2024
If Akins can defend at the level he has this season while improving his offensive game and scoring on his own without just catching and shooting, I think we're going to see him take that next step. We've been waiting to see pro-level Akins and this is it.
We'll see if this continues throughout Big Ten play.