Michigan State traveled to San Diego this weekend for a matchup with No. 2 Gonzaga in the Armed Forces Classic.
The Spartans were the tougher, more physical team through the first 23 minutes of play, building a 12-point lead over the second-ranked team in the nation. However, foul trouble and poor free throw shooting prevented MSU from putting the Bulldogs away, and the Zags battled back for a 64-63 victory over the Spartans.
Here's what stood out from tonight's game:
1.) Foul trouble plagues Spartans
Michigan State is already thin in the frontcourt, and multiple Spartan bigs were hit with some early foul trouble.
Starting small forward Malik Hall and power forward Joey Hauser each picked up two fouls in the first half. As a result, Izzo benched both guys for the majority of the opening 20 minutes.
Hall picked up his third foul just four and a half minutes into the second half, and Mady Sissoko picked up two early second half fouls to give him three for the game, and sending him to the bench as well. With those two off the floor, Gonzaga immediately went on a 9-0 run to seize momentum.
Both Hauser and Sissoko ended up fouling out, and Hall finished with four fouls. With the Spartans' lack of depth in the frontcourt, foul trouble is going to be something to watch throughout the season.
2.) Mady Sissoko had a career performance
The junior center is almost unrecognizable from the raw, athletic guy that Michigan State fans have seen the last two years.
Sissoko looks polished, more in control, and like a guy who is going to play a vital role for the Spartans this season. The junior finished with a career high in both points (14) and rebounds (9), eclipsing his previous career highs in the first half alone. He added a blocked shot as well, and did a pretty good job in defending Gonzaga's All-American big, Drew Timme.
As mentioned above, Sissoko is going to have to play smart and stay out of foul trouble this season. But in a limited sample size, Sissoko has been really good for Michigan State when he's been out on the floor. That's an encouraging development for the Spartans.
3.) Poor 3-point shooting, and lots of TOs
The outdoor conditions certainly had an effect on both teams tonight, as both the Spartans and the Bulldogs struggled mightly in two areas: three-point shooting and turnovers.
Michigan State shot just 3-of-16 from deep, and turned it over 16 times. Gonzaga, meanwhile, went just 4-of-18 from three and had 18 turnovers. The Bulldogs had a slight, 15-13 edge in points off turnovers.
The Spartans have struggled with turnovers for several years running, but were much better in that department earlier in the week against Northern Arizona. I'm interested to see how Michigan State takes care of the ball going forward.
4.) Gonzaga kills MSU on offensive glass
Michigan State was really good defensively throughout the night, and it's what helped the Spartans build a 38-31 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs furiously attacked the offensive glass in the second half and that helped lead the Zags back.
Timme was held in check for much of the night, but the senior came on late and a lot of that was due to his five offensive rebounds. Timme finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga had a 17-6 edge in second half points tonight, and that was a major factor in the outcome of the game. Michigan State's foul trouble probably played a part in that tonight as well.
5. Spartans will lament free throw woes
Izzo wasn't pleased with how few trips the Spartans made to the free throw line against Northern Arizona. Michigan State got to the free throw line a bunch tonight but, unfortunately, the Spartans were very poor from the charity stripe.
MSU shot just 18-for-28 from the free throw line tonight, with half of those misses coming from Sissoko. In a one-point loss, those 10 missed free throws will keep Izzo and the Spartans awake tonight.
Up Next
Things don't get any easier for Michigan State from here. The Spartans will turn around and immediately head to Indianapolis on Tuesday, where they will face No. 4 Kentucky in the Champions Classic.
Michigan State will then face No. 16 Villanova at home for the first game of the Phil Knight Inviational, which includes a deep field of talented programs. The Spartans will be better off for having played this game against an excellent opponent as the season continues.
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