Coaching Corner - +3/-3 from MSU vs. Maryland,
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+3
1. Jaren Jackson Jr. is our best player and probably has been for some time. His ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor continues to be more and more visible each game. His basketball IQ and way he continues to pick up the same fouls (his 4th came when the game was 48-48 with 11:23 left) is an achilles heel for this team. He made a game-saving block with 40 seconds left. But I will still maintain that Cassius Winston is the team’s most important player. He was awful in the 1st half. He was the best player on the court in the 2nd half. You saw the difference in how MSU played.
2. During the 18-4 run that started the second half, you saw all what this team could be. Contesting and blocking shots, Winston running everything on offense, mostly out of the “drag” offense. We scored in the post, at the rim off the bounce, and from 3. It was a 5 minute glimpse into all this team could be at their ceiling.
3. I have been critical of this team on the road. This team answered the bell in the 2nd half and I think grew up a little bit in my eyes. Maryland 12-1 at home, all the distractions, 40 hour turnaround, and playing a dreadful first half. A ton of credit to Izzo for the moves he made and for this young team to show how resilient you can be. If you had to pin Izzo down, he would tell you just how much this one meant because of all that’s gone on. You could see him get choked up with players after the game and then again in the interview.
-3
1. I have said that this has been a bad road basketball team for two years. Awful at Ohio State. Mediocre at Rutgers and Illinois. That 2nd half certainly shut me up. Let’s hope it is a jumping off point to even better road play moving forward.
2. 18 points with 5 minutes to go in the first half. Bad shooting, bad offense, turnovers. 24 points in the first half. When you have that type of offensive performance for that long of a time, it’s amazing you can come back to win.
3. When Miles Bridges struggles on offense, he really struggles. 3/13 from the floor, 1/7 from 3. I thought he played hard, defended really well, and rebounded the ball. But that was painful offensively. Even down the stretch, he couldn’t score the ball and it left this team in a tough stretch from the 4 minute mark to the 1 minute mark.
Coaching Corner
* MSU spent a majority of the 2nd half in their “drag” offensive look. Picture a 2 guard set with 2 corners. 1 post at the FT line. The post runs to Winston for the ball screen and then it’s read and react from there. Even when Winston kicks it, he gets it back and the ball screen reads happen again. He gets his own look from 3, mid-range, and at the rim. He is able to drop dimes to cutters and into the post. He is able to make reads for players from “3.” Sometimes, MSU’s best offense isn’t an offensive “play,” it’s letting guys play within some more-loosely defined parameters.
* MSU is getting better at dealing with post doubles. Ward is doing one of two things. Attacking immediately or 0-1 dribbles and skipping the ball. We are looking to dive one back side cutter but keep the other 3 out side the 3-point line. That is clearly going to be the plan moving forward and you can see MSU getting better at it little by little.
Extras
* While Goins and McQuaid looked clueless at times on the offensive end today, they played some very good defense, especially in the 2nd half when we needed stops. McQuaid on Huerter was big in a couple stretches and Goins with a huge block in the last 3 minutes.
* 3:30 left and up 7, Huerter misses two FT’s. The rebound goes through the hands of Bridges then Goins. Then, Huerter makes a 3. Could’ve been a game changing double drop.
* The offensive rebounds by Ward on the 1:30 possession, that led to Winston drawing a foul late in the shot-clock was huge.
* I thought Schilling played very good minutes. 3/3 from the floor, really good defense, and 0 turnovers.
* 19 big points from Langford including during stretches where we needed his offense.
* Two really funny things to watch in a basketball game. When a player, like the Maryland kid did today, down 6 with 8 seconds left, and goes for a layup, is padding his stats. PERIOD. Zavier Simpson did it the other night. You need a 3 for any shot to win. Also, the guy who shoots a half-court shot as time runs out just a split second after the horn, yet it was intentional because he didn’t want to impact his 3 point shooting percentage!
* Izzo NAILED the post-game on-court interview. Awesome. That’s my coach.