Game Grades: No. 6 Michigan State

Story posted January 15, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Kevin McConlogue

No. 6 Michigan State (15-2, 6-0) pulled far ahead early to beat Penn State (7-10, 0-6) 71-56, in front of a whiteout crowd at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions have now lost four straight games and are still looking for their first win in Big Ten play. Here are some grades from Sunday’s game

Offense: C

Offense has not been the Nittany Lions strongpoint at all this season and that continued on Sunday against a tough Spartan defense. The Nittany Lions shot 36.7 percent as a team and 22.7 percent from 3-point range, which is not good at all but believe it or not is right on par with their season averages. Lamar Stevens put up another 20-point game for the Nittany Lions, however it was mostly in the second half when Penn State was trying to play catch up. Josh Reaves also had a career high nine assists for Penn State.

Defense: B-

Defensively, Penn State had a couple lapses but held their own against one of the best teams in the nation. The Nittany Lions had eight steals as a team, and Josh Reaves led the way with five. Jamari Wheeler continued to fly to the ball like he always does. Michigan State still shot 49 percent for the game, but the Nittany Lions fought hard against a team with multiple All-Americans and All-Big Ten players.

Coaching: C

This was not the worst performance of the season for Penn State, however they were still well below average offensively and it doesn’t really look like anything has changed. Until something does change, I won’t have full confidence in the coaching staff. I give credit to the team for not giving up after falling behind early and continuing to fight, throwing in the towel at home on a nationally televised CBS game would not have looked good for the program.

 

 

Kevin McConlogue is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism with a minor in political science. To contact him email kpm5520@psu.edu.