Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from Quad 1 win over Indiana State
![Dec 30, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jaden Akins (3) encourages Dec 30, 2023; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jaden Akins (3) encourages](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5629,h_3166,x_0,y_125/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/137/01hjyhmdzfk8jk5e5htv.jpg)
1. This team has turned a corner
After nine games, Michigan State was a paltry 4-5 on the season and everyone, including myself, was ready to give up on the Spartans. They had just lost to Nebraska on the road after looking like the better team for most of the game. They desperately needed to turn things around in a hurry with Baylor coming up next on the schedule.
And they did just that.
The Spartans came out and led Baylor for 40 minutes, dominating from start to finish, handing the Bears their first loss of the season by 24 points. It was the first time all year that Michigan State put a complete game together and it was a flash of what they could do moving forward.
Would they build on that? They sure did with a 79-62 win over Oakland two days later. People forget that this was a solid Oakland team that beat Xavier on the road. And then they dominated Stony Brook by 44 points, scoring 99 in the process. And then on Saturday, the Spartans dominated Indiana State outside of a 10-minute stretch in the second half when the Sycamores didn't miss. But Michigan State responded with a big run to put the game away.
This team has turned the corner and it's beautiful to see.