It was another imperfect win, but a win nonetheless, as Michigan State basketball extended their winning streak to seven games with an impressive road win over Ohio State in a game that they were projected by oddsmakers to lose.
It was a win that included a lot of drama, as the Spartans coughed up a double-digit lead as the game reached its conclusion and gave Ohio State a window to steal the win away (the word choice here is by design), but the Spartans strong defense helped snuff out the Buckeyes comeback attempt.
Below, we put together our five key takeaways from the win.
Szymon Zapala offers MSU something it was lacking
Szymon Zapala was a rotation player from Longwood and a seemingly unremarkable addition to the roster this year, depending on who you asked. But Zapala has added something to this roster that it has lacked for a few years. He has great size, and he plays with a lot of intensity. I think he would struggle to sustain that energy level if he had to play big minutes, but the Spartans’ three-man center contingent is perfect for him.
Zapala led the way in scoring on Friday with 15 points and he also added two blocks and a steal.
The team defense is excellent
This team defends at a level that could make them dangerous in the postseason. When Ohio State fought back and almost took this game away, the Spartans’ defense locked in and snuffed them out. They had ten combined steals and blocks on the night and were able to overcome some ugly offense.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is finally looking comfortable
It’s still not perfect, but every game I can see small improvements from Jeremy Fears Jr. as he continues to look more comfortable following a mostly lost freshman season. I don’t expect him to be a scorer this year at any point, but if he acn just get those turnovers down, MSU might have a true point guard star here.
Fears finished with six points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal on the night, but he did have three turnovers.
Turnovers remain a concern
As mentioned above, the turnovers have been a problem and will hurt this team in the long run if they can’t limit them. The Spartans had 16 turnovers on Friday and they almost cost them the win.
Three-point woes returned
I thought the ridiculously bad shooting nights were behind this team, then they shot 3-for-18 from three on Friday night. I’m not sure what to make of these kind of nights. They have happened to this team several times, but they keep winning games. It’s really fascinating.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over Ohio State
