EAST LANSING— Michigan State men’s basketball ranks nationally in multiple categories and is having its best start to a season since 2019.
MSU is ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25, No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches poll, No. 15 in the NCAA Net Rankings, No. 2 in free throw shooting percentage, No. 10 in free throws made per game, No. 2 in fast break points, No. 1 in total points coming off fast breaks, No. 7 in rebound margin, No. 12 in defensive rebounds per game and No. 14 in rebounds per game.
But rankings don’t hold his team’s value for MSU head coach Tom Izzo.
“I don’t think anybody knows how good anybody is still,” Izzo said post-game. “I’m not resting on anything. I’m not sleeping good on anything.”
MSU outlasted Penn State Wednesday night 90-85 to improve to 15-2 on the season and 6-0 in Big Ten play. Senior forward Frankie Fidler was a highlight of the game for the Spartans posting a season-high 18 points.
“Frankie did a good job. Really good job,” Izzo said. “I thought his biggest key was he got seven rebounds and some of those were put backs which means he played aggressively.”
The first half was chippy and tense. The Nittany Lions picked up 11 fouls, sending the Spartans to the free throw line seven times and who went 11-12 from the free throw line in the first half.
The Spartans were pulling a full team effort with all 10 players who checked into the first half putting up two or more points. MSU walked away from the first half with a double-digit lead, 46-36, and sophomore forward Coen Carr led MSU with nine points.
However, the Nittany Lions had the Spartans beat in three-point shooting percentage (26.7%-23.1%) and rebounds (21-19). In the first half, PSU was led by senior guard D’Marco Dunn with 10 points and followed by junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser with eight.
“Not many times this year I’ve been disappointed in our defensive performance,” Izzo said. “Tonight, I’m very disappointed.”
The Nittany Lions outscored the Spartans in the second half by five points and outscored themselves by 13 points compared to their first half performance. PSU finished with four players in double-digits.
“You’ve got to make adjustments when you play on the road and I thought we were just a little bit tougher with getting shots and moving the ball and more physical around the rim,” PSU head coach Mike Rhoades said. “I saw in the second half we settled down on the defensive end a little bit and got some consecutive stops which I thought was huge.”
Intensity and physicality knocked up a few more notches also after the half. MSU picked up 13 fouls in the second half alone compared to PSU’s 11. In the first half, MSU only had eight fouls compared to PSU’s 11.
Three Spartans finished with four fouls: junior guard Tre Holloman, freshman guard Jase Richardson and redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. who also had a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first half.
“He just can’t do it,” Izzo said on Fears’ technical. “If you say one word now, I mean officials are being consistent with this. They are T’ing people all over and I warned my guys about that.”
MSU’s field goal shooting percentages improved between the halves, but it’s made field goals remained the same. The Spartans only drained six total three-pointers, three of which came from senior guard Jaden Akins who leads MSU in made three points with 26.
Up next, MSU will host No. 19 Illinois (13-4) on Sunday at noon at the Breslin Center. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Matt Merrifield and Allie Cohen locally on 88.9 FM or at impact89fm.org/listen-live/.