Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from upset over No. 4 Kentucky

Michigan State Basketball wasn’t going to make it two close losses in a row, beating the Kentucky Wildcats in an overtime affair.

In what was one of the toughest slates of games to open the season, Michigan State Basketball came into the Champions Classic matchup with No. 4 Kentucky after nearly beating No. 2 Gonzaga just a few days back in the final seconds before falling short. With the return of National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe, the Wildcats were the clear favorite in this game.

It turned into a back-and-forth matchup, with the game within a couple of possessions throughout the night. It ended up going to double-overtime, with the Spartans taking advantage of no Tshiebwe (fouled out) in the extra five minutes to prevail, 86-77. Four starters had at least 14 points, led by Joey Hauser with 23 points and eight rebounds.

There was plenty of good to go around for Michigan State; here are three specific takeaways from this game overall.

1. Mady Sissoko the early MVP

Throughout the offseason, there was criticism concerning the team’s lack of moves involving the transfer portal, particularly at the center position after losing both Marcus Bingham and Julius Marble. Returning center Mady Sissoko had played limited minutes in the past two seasons and there was a question as to how good he’d be in extended minutes this year.

He’s gone up against the two consensus top players in the country in centers Drew Timme and Tshiebwe last night. While the Kentucky star had 22 points and 18 rebounds, Sissoko was good as well, going for 16 points and eight boards. He’s been fantastic on both ends of the court and his being able to withstand these bigs has been a major reason why the Spartans have been in contention to win.

The emergence of Sissoko has given the Spartans the balance both inside and out and a proven center for Big Ten play, where All-American candidates such as Hunter Dickinson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Zach Edey awaits. Thus far, the junior center has shown he’s ready for the challenge.

2. “Depth” has been cut to just 6 already

One advantage that the Spartans were supposed to have to make up for the lack of a “star” was supposed to be plenty of depth. capable of playing up to 10 guy meaningful minutes. But in this game, there were mainly six guys that played 90+% of the total minutes. Jaden Akins, who is still recovering from an injury, played 27 minutes off the bench, with freshman Jaxon Kohler playing nine at center whenever Sissoko was out.

But in a big matchup like this, head coach Tom Izzo largely went with the veterans, with three guys going for 40+ minutes out of 50. And in matchups with both Gonzaga and Michigan State, it largely has worked out. Michigan State may not have stars that can go for 15-20 on any given night but they seem to have six that collectively can compete with just about anyone. And assuming Pierre Brooks gets back into the fold, that’ll be seven.

3. Hauser and Hall ready to lead

The backcourt duo of Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard certainly dished out the ball, combining for 17 assists. But they struggled to score the ball, going for 18 points on 5/20 shooting and missing some key shots down the stretch. But the forward duo of Malik Hall and Joey Hauser produced at a high level, going for 20 and 23 points respectively. They both have been able to get their offense in clutch situations, especially Hauser, who has looked like the potential star the team was hoping for after transferring in from Marquette.

Heading into the night, Michigan State had six players averaging between 8-10.5 ppg. That very well could be how it ends up after 30 games of regular season play but against top-tier competition, the team has to be happy with their 5th-year veterans and their play.