Exhibition games usually don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but Sunday’s preseason Michigan State basketball contest against Northern Michigan was a special one for Tom Izzo.
While the final result of a 70-53 win wasn’t exactly earth-shattering, Izzo returned home to play his alma mater in the city he used to call home. Former teammates and coaches welcomed him and it was quite the sight as fans filled the arena to watch the Spartans play Northern Michigan in an emotionally meaningful game for Izzo.
The Spartans built a 50-25 lead in the second half before a sloppy finish to the game only gave the Spartans a 17-point win.
What did we learn?
1. Kur Teng and Jase Richardson are ready now
While everyone kind of wanted to see how the veterans looked, it was the freshmen who really impressed. I thought Jase Richardson was the perfect offensive weapon and Kur Teng can do a little of everything on both ends of the floor.
Michigan State needs more offense and these two freshmen can be legit scoring options off the bench and they’re ready now.
2. Tre Holloman is going to be a star this year
We know all that Jeremy Fears is going to be a star eventually but don’t sleep on Tre Holloman. The junior guard has been one of the most improved players on the team over the past couple of years and he looked the part of the team’s leader on Sunday afternoon. He was scoring from all three levels and he made it look easy. Plus, he had full command of the offense and it just feels like it flows nicely with him at the point.
Holloman is flowing with early flashes of stardom, and I think he’ll be a (not so) surprising breakout candidate in 2024-25.
3. The post was a mixed bag
I came away impressed with Jaxon Kohler although I feel like he still needs to go up stronger around the rim. He was making some plays and looked quicker on the defensive end of the floor and even showed his range on offense. Kohler had to ease some of the worries that fans had heading into the 2024-25 season.
Carson Cooper looked solid defensively along with Szymon Zapala but neither made much of an impact offensively which was a concern.
Overall, this game was what I expected from Michigan State basketball: flashes, but overall rust from it being the first game.
