Michigan State Basketball: 3 things we learned vs. Oakland

Michigan State basketball pulled off a nice win against Oakland on Wednesday night and here’s what we learned.

Just a few days after saying that he was disappointed with his upperclassmen, Tom Izzo brought his Michigan State basketball team into a tough non-conference finale against Oakland at home. The Spartans escaped with a nice 77-65 win and will head into Big Ten action with an 8-5 record.

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Not only is it a positive that this team beat a tough Oakland team, but they did so after their most crushing loss of the year vs. Northeastern at the Breslin Center. That resilience from a young team can go a long way down the road.

Also, this marks potentially the final game Michigan State has to play without star freshman Miles Bridges who has been sidelined for three weeks with an ankle injury. Izzo stated he may miss the Minnesota game, which is the Big Ten opener, but probably nothing more.

There were positives all around, besides silly turnovers and poor free throw shooting, and here’s what we learned from the win.

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1. Tom Izzo is trusting his freshmen

Tum Tum Nairn and Eron Harris had been starting for Michigan State through the first two months of the year, but Wednesday night was different. It was the first time that Izzo had put all three healthy freshmen in the starting lineup at once.

Cassius Winston, Josh Langford and Nick Ward all got the start along with Matt Van Dyk and Matt McQuaid. It was a different lineup and it seemed to work out as the three freshmen played very well. It seems like the head coach is starting to trust the young guys more, which is a very good sign.

2. Nick Ward needs to be fed often

Feed him. Nick Ward needs the ball as much as possible in the post. Not only can he get to the hole with devastating post moves, but he has the ability to draw fouls at a high rate. Ward was 7-for-12 from the floor and 11-of-17 at the free throw line for 25 points to go along with nine rebounds. He also had a volleyball spike-like block late in the second half that got the Breslin roaring.

This kid is getting better by the game and he might just be the best freshman, outside of Bridges, in the Big Ten. Winston also has the innate ability to hit him in stride on breakaways as Ward is starting to run the floor very well for a big man.

3. Matt Van Dyk can be this year’s Colby Wollenman

One of the unsung heroes of the young season has to be senior forward Matt Van Dyk. Although his jump shot needs major work and he doesn’t do much offensively, he goes all out on every play. He resembles the type of player Colby Wollenman was last season and Van Dyk is even smaller, standing just 6-foot-5. Despite the height, he managed to grab five offensive rebounds and seven total in 23 minutes for the Spartans. He has been big in Bridges’ absence.