MSU blows out Charleston Southern: Three Key Takeaways

Michigan State basketball handled their business against Charleston Southern in a 94-46 win. Here are three key takeaways from this game.

Everyone relax, there is no need to overreact. Michigan State basketball shined in this blowout 94-46 victory over Charleston Southern, but, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Spartans must focus on bigger opponents in the future like Virginia Tech & Duke.

Here are three key takeaways from this game:

Gabe Brown Is Here

Boy oh boy, Gabe Brown looks like a stud. Aaron Henry sat out with a sprained ankle. As a result, Brown played 28 minutes against Charleston Southern. Gabe scored 12 points on 5-7 from the floor. Plus, he tallied up 6 boards, one assist, and one block.

Brown’s development adds depth at the Forward position for Michigan State. Especially if he continues his solid defensive play. Opponents best Forwards will face either Aaron Henry or Gabe Brown as a matchup. That’s a tough ask. Best of all, Gabe looks incredibly confident on the floor.

Xavier Tillman Fulfilling Potential

There were some question marks coming into the season for MSU’s Center spot. I mean, most people would put money on Tillman starting, but, how good would he be? Well guys and gals, he is good.

Tillman ended the night with 21 points on 9-12 shooting from the floor along with 10 rebounds, four assists, and a block. He missed two threes but that’s okay, as long as he keeps taking them. As a Center, you must prove to defenders that you will take open threes. If not, the defense will not respect you from distance.

The most important stat here is definitely Tillman’s four assists. One Spartan must step up as a secondary playmaker in these games. Cassius Winston cannot be the lone playmaker or teams will easily scheme against MSU’s offense. Luckily, Tillman and Rocket Watts have both tallied up plenty of assists as of late.

Young Players Developing Confidence

There are a lot of young guys on this Spartan’s roster coming into their own. In particular, I think of Malik Hall, Rocket Watts, and Foster Loyer. Loyer has a long way to go, but, he is showing some flashes.

Malik Hall came back down to earth against Charleston Southern. Regardless, he still rebounded the ball extremely well and had a few put back points. He even found a few teammates for three assists. The Spartans need some energy off of the bench and Hall plays that role well.

Rocket Watts continues to get better and better each game. Especially when it comes to dishing the rock. Watts ended the night with six assists, including a sick alley-oop to Gabe Brown. Most impressive is his ability to rebound as a Guard. Expect big things from Watts in the tournament this year.

MSU’s next basketball game is against Virginia Tech on Nov. 25 at 5 P.M. You can catch this game on ESPN2.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more basketball coverage to come.

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