Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s blowout win over Washington

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Jan 9, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Washington Huskies center KC Ibekwe (24) gets trapped by the Michigan State Spartans defense including Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

Michigan State basketball went into halftime of their win on Thursday night with their biggest lead in Big Ten play in the last fifteen years and they didn’t look back. The Spartans slammed the door on Washington and left with one of the most lopsided Big Ten wins I’ve seen from this program in a long time.

This was the eighth win in a row for the Spartans, who haven’t lost a game since their loss to Memphis in the Maui Invitational, and they did it in blowout fashion, beating the Huskies 88 to 54.

Below, we put together some key takeaways from a remarkable blowout win for MSU.

Szymon Zapala was the perfect addition to this rotation

Jan 9, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Washington Huskies center KC Ibekwe (24) cantÕ get his shot past Michigan State Spartans center Szymon Zapala (10) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

Last offseason, a lot of Michigan State fans desperately wanted Tom Izzo to land a transfer commitment from Great Osobor. Instead, the Spartans chose Szymon Zapala, a lesser known center who spent last year with Longwood, who, coincidentally, Osobor actually replaced at Utah State last year when Zapala moved to Longwood.

A lot of fans were concerned about going after a player like Zapala over Osobor, and while Osobor is a solid player, Zapala was just what the doctor ordered for this team. While he didn’t stuff the stat sheet tonight, when he was on the floor, his size felt imposing against a Washington team who starts Osobor at center at just 6-foot-8.

Zapala’s size has been a welcome and needed addition to this group, and I think the center rotation where MSU uses three different guys in that role is perfect…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-takeaways-michigan-state-basketballs-104500681.html

Author : Spartans Wire

Publish date : 2025-01-10 10:45:00

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