1. MSU survives – and won’t complain about that. Holy smokes.
EAST LANSING – I don’t know that Todd Simon and Tum Tum Nairn are going to be welcomed back at Breslin Center. Bowling Green big fella Marcus Johnson certainly isn’t.
Michigan State’s 86-72 win Saturday might be the most deceptive final score in the history of college basketball.
Michigan State survived a scare Saturday that would have been a monumental upset in some ways — like the point spread and athletic budgets — but less so to everyone who witnessed the Falcons blitz the Spartans out of the gate and then go toe to toe with them until the final minutes.
Simon, Bowling Green’s head coach and a native of nearby Fowler, said this week that Johnson was the best shooter he’s ever had. MSU and its fans learned it quickly, as the wide-bodied 6-foot-7 forward introduced his unsuspecting audience to his offensive game, with 13 early points and 23 for the game, scoring in the post, on the drive and from long range.
MSU trailed by 12 in the first half and, after tying it at the break, by eight again midway through the second half, and as late as 72-71 with 6:11 remaining.
They were rescued by their defense — not allowing a field goal from then on — and by the performances down the stretch of Coen Carr, Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler and Carson Cooper even (more on him later).
This was a big game for Bowling Green — for Simon and for Nairn, the former MSU guard who’s on Bowling Green’s staff and did the scouting report for this game. Talk about someone who knows MSU’s tendencies and personnel. This was friendly fire. And it was a Bowling Green team that was on fire, shooting between 67 and 75% deep into the first half. Obviously not sustainable, but you can see the talent on the Falcons’ roster with 10 new players, including most of the key contributors Saturday.
MSU hung in early because Tre Holloman found his game (scoring all 11 points in the first half) and won in no small part because MSU kept its poise, and players like Akins — 13 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals — showed up, even if they didn’t shoot well. That continues to be an issue for the Spartans, who were 4-for-20 from long range and are now 16-for-80 on 3-point tries this season.
A problem for another day. They survived this one. They won’t complain.
2. MSU needs Coen Carr to shoot and Xavier Booker to keep shooting
Every team MSU faces wants Coen Carr to shoot from beyond the arc. That doesn’t mean Carr shouldn’t let it fly. He’s taken a couple this season between the regular season and preseason. But Saturday, when the ball came to him on the corner, with his defender daring him to shoot, sagging off by maybe 10 feet, Carr wasn’t in a shooting position when he caught it and quickly passed it to the wing.
That’s the 3 he should take. It’s one I think he’ll eventually make. But until he’s a willing outside shooter, he’ll never make any. And until he makes a few, defenses are going to continue to pack it in when he gets the ball.
He’s a much more impactful player than a year ago — as seen with his 11 points and five rebounds Saturday. He’s been much more fluid moving in the half court. And his dunks are now changing games. They’re not just wide open on the break. He’s dunking over people, running the lane and getting free within range of the basket despite every team wanting to stop just that. He’s incredibly valuable. Valuable enough that it’s worth discovering that shot.
Xavier Booker, who’s always been more than a willing shooter, needs to stay that way. You can see him struggling with his confidence. As of Saturday, he’s no longer in the starting lineup — replaced by Jaxon Kohler.
I thought Booker played pretty well in 10 minutes Saturday — with three points (on a 3), three rebounds, a block and an assist.
MSU needs him to keep his head up and also to keep shooting. He made 1 of 3 3s Saturday, making him 2-for-14 from deep on the season. His shot is too pure for that to stick.
He’s going to have figuring it out, his shot and everything else, in fewer minutes — others deserve them more. But he’s got to stay aggressive with his outside shot. That’s where he can make the biggest difference the soonest.
Carson Cooper with a don’t-forget-about-me performance
Carson Cooper has been an easy man to forget early on this season — playing with a broken nose, coming off the bench behind Szymon Zapala and with Jaxon Kohler having notable minutes at center, while leading the team in scoring and rebounding from the 4 and 5 spots though three games.
Saturday against Bowling Green, Cooper was memorably good. The 6-11 junior’s ball-screen defense and even his post game were central to MSU’s late-first half rally from down 12 to tie the game at the break, and again played important and productive minutes late.
For Cooper, having the Falcons’ 6-7, 300-pound-ish Marcus Johnson defend him is an unquestionably favorable matchup (on one end of the court, at least). I’ve never seen Cooper look so much like Hakeem Olajuwon on a spin move for a reverse layup. Still, Cooper had to make the move and have the confidence to do it.
He finished the half with six points and the game with 12 — and also with one unpleasant shot to the nose in the second half. This after an under-the-radar solid showing against Kansas on Tuesday, with six points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.
I’ve always liked Cooper’s potential, drive to improve and self-awareness. It was starting to look like he had plateaued. We’ll see. Either way, he showed Saturday that he can be an important part of this season. He was an important part of turning the game around in the first half and finally taking control late in the second.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
