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V-Cast: Talking Michigan State hoops, football recruiting

On3 imageby:Paul Konyndyk•12/18/23•

PKonyndyk

v-cast-dec-19

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State pulled above .500 with an impressive 79-62 win over a tricky Oakland basketball team in a one-day prep scenario. That win came on the heels of an even bigger victory over a Top 10 Baylor ballclub in Detroit.

After the Spartans dispatched their Horizon League opponent on Monday night, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk took to the court at the Breslin Center for a V-Cast, which touched upon a wide range of topics both basketball and football.

V-CAST TOPICS

Defense Improving: For the second straight game, Michigan State has played outstanding team defense. The Spartans are no longer denying passing lanes and over-rotating on defense. These guys are getting back to playing old-fashioned Michigan State defense and the results have been impressive against both Baylor and Oakland. Tyson Walker, Jaden Akins, AJ Hoggard, Jeremy Fears, and Tre Holloman all played plus defense in a short-turnaround scenario against Oakland. Malik Hall was also very good on defense in a trick match-up. This is the second straight game in which Hall has played impactful defense in a difficult match-up.

Fast-Break Improving:  Improvement on defense has led to improvement in the fast-break offense for Michigan State. The Spartans have now gotten strong production from their fast break for two consecutive games. Against Baylor, the Spartans forced 20 turnovers, many of which led to transition scoring opportunities. Oakland didn’t turn the ball over as much as Baylor did, but the Spartans still managed to get out and run. Late in the first half, the Spartans managed to turn several strong defensive possessions into critical field goals during a 9-3 run before halftime.

Football Commitment Blitz: Michigan State received a surge of football commitments on Monday as several high school plays and college transfers cast their lot with Jonathon Smith and his staff. Ohio wide receiver Austin Clay was one of the first to pull the trigger. Later in the day, the Spartans got a big wide receiver commitment from Purdue standout TJ Sheffield, who has more than 1,000 receiving yards in his career with the Boilermakers. The Spartans also landed linebacker Jordan Turner, a Wisconsin transfer. The biggest news of the day, however, came at the tight end position where the Spartans received a critical commitment from Oregon State tight end Jack Velling, who was one of the most productive pass-catching tight ends in the Power 5 this season.

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