Coming off a historic win over No. 2 Duke in the Champions Classic, Michigan State returned home to face its third mid-major opponent of the season, Northern Iowa. Against any mid-major opponent, the goal is to keep playing your own brand of basketball and use the game as a learning opportunity before the gauntlet of Big Ten play begins. The Spartans carried their winning momentum back to the Breslin Center. The game turned into a foul fest for UNI, but MSU pushed through for a 106-72 win.
Early Energy
Jordan Scott wasted no time getting back into his recent rhythm, scoring MSU’s first points and making its first major defensive play. Scott has hung his hat on effort-related plays — which have earned him his continued starting spot. After a six-block performance against Duke, he had 11 points in this game before an injury cut his night short, and it will be imperative for MSU to keep looking to him on both ends of the floor. He has noticeably grown in his ability to create space for himself and is beginning to understand how much driving into defenders and getting to the free-throw line can do for MSU.
In addition to Scott’s energetic play, Jeremy Fears Jr. went a perfect 5 for 5 in the first half. With a particular knack for creating space for himself, Fears showed his improved range by knocking down 3-pointers. With MSU’s added depth this season, Fears is getting needed rest in these early-season games, which will hopefully bode well for his health the rest of the season.
When a starting point guard checks out of the game, his backup is expected to keep things flowing until the starter returns. But Carlos Medlock Jr. showed with 14 minutes that his role on this team is more than that. Medlock does not yet match Fears’ veteran play, but he shows a similar fiery desire to control the game. With the prerequisite of being an all-out competitor, plus some tough love from coach Tom Izzo, Spartan fans can have confidence in Medlock going forward.
A Tale of Two Starts
After halftime, MSU let UNI crawl back in as the Panthers twice cut the lead to 11, a sharp contrast to the energy the Spartans started the game with. During the early slump, MSU’s only points came on two 3-pointers from freshman Jasiah Jervis. After two missed free throws by Cam Ward, Fears followed Jervis’ lead with a 3-pointer at the 16:02 mark, and the Spartans began to look like themselves again. After those early low points, 10 different players scored in the second half.
Although 3-point shooting has been a shaky area for MSU in recent years, it was a bright spot Friday. Seven different Spartans made shots from beyond the arc, including Jesse McCulloch, who went 2 for 2. McCulloch has received high praise from Izzo as he steps in to fill the shoes of two veterans from last year’s squad. In the final moments, freshman Julius Avent hit MSU’s last 3-pointer, giving the Spartans 18 for the night and breaking the program’s single-game record. The previous record of 17 was set in 2014 and last matched in 2016.
UNI Foul Trouble
Fouls piled up early for UNI, which committed its sixth foul with 12:33 still left in the first half. MSU took full advantage, shooting 77% from the free-throw line in the first half and [XX]% in the second. UNI finished with 35 fouls and had two players foul out. Fears led MSU with [XX] trips to the line, and nine different Spartans got to the stripe. Although a foul-heavy game can be a tough watch for fans, the Spartans got plenty of free-throw practice.
Things turned chippy in the second half, including a double technical foul assessed to Ethan Taylor and UNI’s Greyson Uelmen. In an unfortunate turn for MSU, Scott was unable to shoot his own free throws after what was ruled a common foul, and he did not return. His status will be worth watching ahead of MSU’s next game at Tennessee, since Scott has been such a spark plug.
MSU heads next to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on No. 11 Tennessee. Tuesday’s game will be MSU’s first trip to Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center since 1993, when Izzo was an assistant under Jud Heathcote.
