V-Cast: Akins' loud game for Michigan State in win over Monmouth overshadows perimeter shooting woes
East Lansing, Mich. – Aside from a lackluster shooting night from three, Michigan State checked off a lot of boxes in an 81-57 season-opening win over Monmouth at the Breslin Center on Tuesday night. Afterward, SpartanMag.com staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk checked in from courtside with the latest V-Cast.
V-Cast Topics
Jaden Akins: Senior guard Jaden Akins created the biggest storyline from the season opener against Monmouth by matching a career-high in scoring with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Akins also added nine rebounds and five assists in the win. This was the type of performance Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was hoping to see from his senior guard, whom he has long heralded as a potential replacement for leading scorer Tyson Walker. Akins took the game over after Monmouth cut the Spartan lead to six points in the second half at which time he scored nine straight points for Michigan State to put the game out of reach.
Shooting Woes from three: Michigan State shot poorly from behind the 3-point line against Monmouth, making 3-of-18 threes (16.7 percent) in a game where the Spartans shot just under 50 percent from the field. Izzo could find little fault with the shot selection on those shots and made it clear that he has faith in his team’s ability to knock down open threes. If the Spartans had shot this poorly from three against a better team than Monmouth, this game probably would have been a lot closer than it was.
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Jase Richardson: The headliner of Michigan State’s 2024 recruiting class that includes Kur Teng and Jesse McCulloch, Jase Richardson has played with rare poise for a freshman guard. Against Monmouth, Richardson logged minutes at both point guard and shooting guard, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and four assists in his first regular-season game at Michigan State. After averaging 12.5 minutes during exhibition games against Northern Michigan and Ferris State, Richard played 22 minutes against Monmouth. He likely played more minutes in this game because Tre Holloman was in foul trouble throughout the contest.
McCulloch to redshirt: During his post-game press conference, Izzo indicated that true freshman big man Jesse McCulloch has decided to redshirt this season. The Michigan State praised McCulloch for being a high-ceilinged big man with a bright future in the Spartan program. Izzo also said that he would not hesitate to pull the redshirt off of McCulloch if an early-season injury were to create a need for the Spartans.
