1. What seemed like a Christmas for MSU fans — Xavier Booker's first start — somehow turned into a baffling and costly defeat
EAST LANSING – I have understood – and largely agreed with – that for most of the season, Tom Izzo and Co. have been playing slow with Xavier Booker. He wasn't ready. That was abundantly clear in January. Far from clear in December.
But things have changed. Booker has looked more comfortable in recent weeks, and on February 25, MSU's coaches thought he was ready.
For MSU fans, Sunday was Christmas — either 10 months early or two months late, depending on your point of view. Or maybe in time.
Xavier Booker's first career start on Sunday was a gift beyond expectations for fans who were just hoping the Spartans' new big man would start seeing playing time in both halves. Booker, who started the game at center, certainly lit up the Breslin Center. His presence from the jump and for extended minutes also helped the Spartans take a 10-point lead five minutes into the second half.
Then, like the game your parents inexplicably took, Booker didn't see the field for the final 15 minutes of the game after playing 17 of the first 25 minutes. And for some correlation, MSU lost 60-57. A last-second 3-pointer by Ohio State's Dale Bonner on Tyson Walker ruined the day and put the Spartans' NCAA Tournament prospects in a more precarious position than they should have ever been.
MSU didn't lose this game just because Mady Sissoko was the choice at quarterback. Sissoko played as well as he has in a while – although he was unable to hang on to the late attacking rebound that could have made a difference. The Spartans lost this game because they scored seven points over the final 10 minutes, and at this pace, they were playing with fire. They lost this game because Walker and Jaden Akins pretty much couldn't afford a bucket.
They lost this game because their offense died, while a rookie who showed he could provide some juice in the offense sat on the bench. They lost because Ohio State was able to get deeper touches in the position, their interim coach said, while the MSU freshman sat.
Brutal loss. Something that almost guarantees the Spartans will finish eighth or worse in the NCAA Tournament, if they get there. They still have some wins to make it happen.
A game that looked like a potential jolt to MSU's season — like New Hope — was anything but.
2. Freshman Ideas – First Edition by Xavier Booker
Questions about whether this should have happened earlier are fair, though anyone who watched Booker play in December knows he wasn't the player he is today. On Sunday, he looked poised to be an impact player. His occasional mistakes — going to the block instead of boxing, for example — were made up for by what he gave.
First, his arms are everywhere. He blocked three shots, changed another and hit a pass wide as well. He caught the ball that Jaden Akins lost on a drive, using his long arms to reach out, grab it and put it down quickly. It's a play no other MSU big man can make. They don't have that combination of length, hands and speed.
Booker played two long stretches in the first half — the first a planned one (although added due to the lack of a dead-ball break), the second due to foul trouble by Malik Hall and possibly Carson Cooper. MSU didn't get back to it in the latter parts of the second half, a sign that the coaches still have more faith in Maddie Sissoko. I think this is the final frontier that Booker has to overcome.
In all, Booker played 17 minutes, scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, including a 3-pointer, and grabbed three rebounds to go along with the blocks.
Another characteristic of Booker: his versatility. He started as a central midfielder, but when Hall made his second foul, he slid forward, while Sissoko slotted in.
There were signs this week that this could be coming — when Izzo said he just had to find Xavier Booker the right match (Ohio State's Felix Okpara is a good match) and even more so when Booker spent a lot of time practicing playing with the starters .
The question now is whether Booker will stay in the starting lineup and play those kind of minutes in MSU's next game, next Saturday at Mackey Arena against Zach Eddy and Purdue. Although this may seem like a terrible rivalry, it's not good for any of MSU's big men. Booker at least provides some length and speed on the second rebound, and on the offensive side of the court, forces defenders to pick him up at the 3-point line. That's not something I imagine Bordeaux would want to do with Eddie.
3. The beginning of booking means new courses and different roles
It's a one-game sample size, so it's hard to know what Booker's start means for MSU's other big men and rotation players. But there's certainly a ripple effect of Booker playing an expanded role.
Interestingly, Sissoko, who lost his starting role, was the least affected. He played a lot and played as well as he has for weeks – there is a connection there. Sissoko scored four points and grabbed six rebounds in 16 minutes. He looked more comfortable too.
But Carson Cooper only played seven minutes. There might have been more if it weren't for the foul troubles in the first half but, in this game at least, his role was diminished. Quinn Carr played just seven minutes, and Booker got his few minutes on offense.
One of the challenges of introducing a new starter this late is how to change rotations and roles and you can see that. There were some heavy formations that didn't help. But that's not why MSU lost. The Spartans made a big deal out of a 12-point lead in the second half. They stopped scoring and did not return to the big man separating the floor.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
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