1. MSU found a way through a rocky night. Sometimes that’s all you can ask against a zone.
DETROIT – At least the coaches’ sweaters were fun.
Oakland’s funky zone gave Michigan State fits. The Grizzlies’ DQ Cole, who’s a streaky shooter capable of getting hot beyond the arc, got hot. And it took the Spartans a good while to grab a hold of this thing.
Eventually MSU did enough on both ends and on the glass to prevent Tom Izzo’s Grinch Christmas sweater from coming to life.
Nothing you thought about this MSU basketball team before Tuesday night’s 77-58 win over Oakland has changed.
I’ve learned over the years not to make snap judgments after games where one side successfully mucks up the flow with a zone defense. It’s not really basketball. If zone defense was the norm, the sport wouldn’t be on TV. I sure as heck wouldn’t watch.
Moreover, the results can lie to you, both ways. How about this doozy of a column take from Nov. 23, 2015, after the Spartans’ diced up Eastern Michigan’s zone: “Javon Bess can be MSU’s second-most important player.” Holy smokes. They pay me to write this stuff.
So I’m not going to overreact to this. The difference between the two teams is greater than the margin was for the first 28 minutes minutes Tuesday (when it was still just 43-40 MSU). The Grizzlies played hard and made some tough shots they haven’t been making. The Spartans should take the win, note that they didn’t play a very crisp game against Oakland’s shapeless zone and move on. They probably won’t see anything like it again. If they do, they’ll have to be better and we should all listen to the game on the radio.
2. Jaxon Kohler has become a guy you can count on
Having just said all that, there were performances that deserve examination. One is that of Jaxon Kohler, who’s become a player MSU can count on in several areas — and that was important Tuesday night as MSU struggled put any distance between itself and Oakland.
Kohler gave the Spartans stability in the post defensively — when Carson Cooper especially was struggling — and on the glass and was a reliable bucket around the rim, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. It was his third straight game with double-digit rebounds, his fifth on the season and his fourth double-double. MSU was 19 points better than Oakland when he was in the game. Jaden Akins, who played well and scored 14 points, was next as plus-18, with Tre Holloman the only other player in that realm, at plus-17.
What stands out is Kohler has become a presence physically. It helps that Oakland isn’t the tallest team in the world. But it’s not the first time his physicality, aggressiveness on the glass and confidence around the rim has made a massive difference in a game this season.
3. Xavier Booker’s trajectory continues in the right direction
This was a game for Booker. He played 17 minutes. He probably should have had more of Cooper’s minutes. Against a zone like Oakland plays, you’ve got to have bigs who can either stretch the floor, put the ball on the floor or really see the game. That’s why Szymon Zapala was effective — his interior passing, which resulted in three assists, helped MSU finally break down Oakland’s zone (and he finished plus-13 on the night).
Booker not only punished the zone with his outside shot — hitting 3 of 5 3s on his way to 18 points — he was active on the boards, with six, and became a problem for the Grizzlies overall. Booker can be a tough matchup for teams. You can’t count on it yet, but you can see it coming.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
