Freshman guard Matt McQuaid rushes to the basket while Ferris State point guard Drew Cushingberry defends on Nov. 9, 2015 during the second half of the game against Ferris State at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Bulldogs, 93-57.
If any sign of the strength of the cohesiveness of MSU basketball was needed, look no further than the stat line.
As MSU routed Ferris State 93-57 Monday, the silent catalyst was MSU’s ability to pass. Spreading the ball around effectively and efficiently, the Spartans racked up 29 assists on 35 field goals. It’s not the first time MSU used the pass to create the offense this season.
In their first game against Northern Michigan, the Spartans put up nearly identical numbers, going for 28 assists on 33 field goals. It speaks to the trust, chemistry, and talent of this already improved Spartan team.
“We got a lot of trust and we got a lot of people who can knock down shots and make plays,” senior guard Denzel Valentine said.
Valentine was a large factor in the ball being spread, as he found the scorer seven times. However, he wasn’t the team leader. A rather surprising freshman guard Matt McQuaid led the team in assists with eight.
“We’ve got pretty good chemistry,” senior guard Bryn Forbes said. “We’ve got a lot guys that can pass the ball, even the bigs can get some assists down there.”
Chemistry, often the determining factor in a team’s success, was missing at the start of last season. MSU struggled to find its identity early but when they clicked late in the year, they were hot; evident by the unexpected run through the NCAA Tournament.
Now the chemistry is evident early, and a cast of leaders is prevalent. While the level of competition thus far has been weaker than what MSU will see the rest of the year, two games of nearly 30 assists is by far a positive sign of this team’s growth during the offseason.
Secondly, in a game against weaker competition, selfish play can sometimes be prevalent. The Spartans avoided playing the “I need my points” game and continued to dish. This only serves to benefit down the road.
Beyond the fact of talent and trust lies the game plan. Dishing out swing passes, and a constantly moving ball are some things head coach Tom Izzo has honed in on with his team.
“We share the ball man,” sophomore guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn said. “Coach talks a lot about moving the ball every time we touch it.”
“It’s really good,” senior forward Matt Costello said of the team chemistry. “We should've had more than that, Denzel and I were talking in the shower and we missed some layups off real good passes.”
The offense so far has been generated from everywhere. As Forbes said even the bigs, who are usually the recipients near the basket, can contribute. It comes down to trust and MSU looked in midseason form in that category.
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