There is one big question facing No. 17 Michigan State as it prepares to take on Detroit Mercy on Friday in East Lansing, Mich.
Can the Spartans avoid a letdown?
One certainly appears possible, given how impressive Michigan State looked in one of its most important nonconference games of the season, an 83-66 win over No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday in New York.
It was the second resume-boosting win the Spartans (4-0) have already secured in the first three weeks of the season, after a home win over then-No. 14 Arkansas on Nov. 8.
There’s certainly a lot of reason for Michigan State to be hyped, which is why intensity could be a concern coming back home to play a lesser opponent, especially on such a short turnaround.
However, if Michigan State keeps sharing the ball like it has the past two games against San Jose State and Kentucky, there shouldn’t be much for the fan base to be worried about.
“What I’m proudest (of), though, with this team, where it’s getting a little bit like last year, it’s very unselfish,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “Twenty-five assists on 32 baskets. The other day, it was 24 assists on 28 baskets (against San Jose State). I still think we’ve got some more upside. I think our running game can get better.”
Michigan State has been led so far by its four returning core players, senior frontcourt players Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, junior forward Coen Carr and sophomore point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
Transfers Trey Fort (Samford) and Divine Ugochukwu (Miami) have added backcourt depth, and freshmen Jordan Scott and Cam Ward have made early contributions.
The biggest revelation for Michigan State against Kentucky was the performance of sophomore Kur Teng, who played sparingly last year.
Teng will be used in a more expanded role this year and played his best college game against Kentucky, scoring 15 points and making three shots from 3-point range in 18 minutes.
“Kur was really good,” Izzo said.
Now, Michigan State will turn its attention to Detroit Mercy in what will be a homecoming game for Titans’ head coach Mark Montgomery, a former point guard for the Spartans who had two coaching stints on Izzo’s staff.
Montgomery is in his second year as head coach of Detroit Mercy (1-4). The Titans have lost their last two games, the latest being a 72-62 home defeat against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday.
Picked ninth in the preseason Horizon League poll, Detroit Mercy is led by senior guard Orlando Lovejoy, who averaged 16.4 points per game last year. Senior guard Jared Lary and sophomore guard TJ Nadeau are other returnees for the Titans.
But this year’s team is filled with plenty of new faces, with three transfers and five freshmen on the roster.
Montogomery said this time of year is important to get those younger players ready for league play and to instill a consistent rotation.
“The young guys are gaining experience,” Montgomery said after the loss to Eastern Michigan. “Most of them played more than 10 minutes a game. You want to come out on the winning end, but you have to learn from these kinds of games, pick yourself up. There’s a lot of basketball ahead of us.”
–Field Level Media
