clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Michigan State Basketball: MSU vs Georgia Recap

The Spartans fell to the Georgian National Team 71-70 after a missed buzzer-beater from Bryn Forbes

By Moban
Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

I wouldn't take too much from this starting lineup. Forbes had a good game yesterday so it was a little odd he wasn't starting but he and Valentine reportedly had tired legs after the game.

The Four Factors

Schilling (17 points, 9 rebounds) along with Nairn (10 points, 9 assists, and just 1 TO) were the stars of the game. Because I was unable to find a stream to watch the game, I'm mostly going to dissect Izzo quotes about it and let Jim Gibson post some observations in the comments below.

"This trip was as good as anything I’ve done in my 20 years."

Well it seems odd that Izzo never took an international trip before. You're allowed to take one every 4 (?) years and they just allow your team a few high-end scrimmages before the season starts. Having your team get beat up by old men with no harm to your NCAA tournament résumé would seem like a very Izzo-thing to do

"We’ve got a couple guys that have got to get better," Izzo said. "It was not a great tournament for (Marvin Clark Jr). He did not play nearly as well as he played at the end of last year. It surely wasn’t for a lack of effort this summer, he worked hard."

More on Clark Izzo said:

"Some guys are better starters, some guys are better coming off the bench."

Clark's efficiency in the three games was fine, but his Plus-Minus/40 minutes (take Plus-Minus with a grain of salt) was the worst on the team for rotation players.

Stats for the three games against national teams
Per 40 Min

Someone that Clark was doing made Izzo unhappy with his play and I'm nowhere near as confident that he'll be a starter in the beginning of the season. He might be too much of a volume shooter for Izzo's taste and he might be more suited in a role as an offensive spark off the bench.

Going into more detail on the tournament stats:

  • Schilling had a very good tournament including 60% from the floor and committing just 2.5 fouls per 40 minutes. I had Costello slotted as the best big for next year but Schilling's superior athleticism and potential to finish well around the rim is something of a ying to Costello's yang of outside shooting and somewhat of a better post game. It'll be interesting to see who ends up getting more minutes between the two of them
  • Davis might have issues with getting minutes if he can't stop himself from fouling. 9.9 fouls committed per 40 is terrible and by most accounts he made freshman mistakes out there
  • Nairn had a solid 2.65-to-1 Ast/TO ratio but he was still unable to make a 3-pointer and had a TS% of just 40.0%. My biggest question with him for the upcoming season is will he be able to create something with the ball in his hands when the shot clock is winding down. Travis Trice was great at that last year.
  • McQuaid is going to have a role next year. He's going to lose minutes due to both Harris and Ellis being able to play but he's seems to be able to do more than just a catch-and-shoot 3 guy.
  • While Bess had bad efficiency (an awful 7.7 TO/40 and 37.0% TS%), Izzo must've liked something about him as he averaged more minutes than Clark and Davis as well as almost as many as Costello. I like his potential as a glue guy that can fit in with just about any lineup due to his versatility and reported basketball IQ.

More From The Only Colors