Michigan State Basketball: MSU 92 - PSU 65 Kneejerk Reactions

[National Average is the red line]

Bryn Forbes led the way in the first half scoring 20 of MSU's 40 points while Denzel Valentine struggled in his first half back going 0-5 from the field with 2 turnovers. However, he recovered in the second half scoring 10 points on 4-6 shooting including a 3-pointer. MSU also got some good production out of Marvin Clark who hit just his fourth 3-pointer of the year. Some bullets

• Valentine's play today was the tale of two halves with the first half being bad and the second half looking much more comfortable and hitting some nice shots. I'm not sure if he'll start against Iowa on Thursday as Eron Harris has played well in his absence but regardless he should end up playing a lot of minutes.
• Bryn Forbes was the reason MSU led at the half with 20 points on very efficient shooting but didn't score a point in the second. Much of that probably had to do with Penn State prioritizing him more in the second half but it's a reminder that Forbes can be taken out of the game if his guy just sticks to him. Anthony Clemmons of Iowa did a great job of that in the first game and it'll be an ongoing battle to see whether or not Forbes can find his offense.
• Matt Costello had a solid game with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals with many of them coming off of Penn State's post entries. He had a great game against Iowa (17 points, 7 rebounds) and hopefully he can have that kind of effort this Thursday.
• Gavin Schilling had a good game scoring 5-8 from the field and we're starting to see Schilling and Costello get more comfortable on the floor together. When one of them puts a shot up the other usually has a size advantage on the offensive glass and they can keep the ball alive.
• Eron Harris had another good game including an early second half sequence with a drive to the basket, a 3, and a spinning layup. He had a huge game against Iowa with 21 points and it'll be interesting to see how much free rein he'll have with Valentine now back.
• Marvin Clark had a good scoring game with 9 points on efficient shooting but struggled defending 6'6" Brandon Taylor in the post and he eventually fouled out of the game. If he can continue to make 3's, that aspect is what separates him from the rest of the 4's but he still has to be able to hold his own in the post.

Next up is Iowa at home on Thursday where MSU will attempt to avenge their 70-83 loss to the Hawkeyes during the first game of conference play.