The Spartans were led by sophomore forward Xavier Booker, who finished the game with a career-high 18 points. Senior guard Jaden Akins added 16 points and gave MSU the edge down the stretch.

Defensive pressure on both sides was the story of the game. The Golden Grizzlies' first half was highlighted by an effective zone that limited the Spartans' inside game. As a result, MSU was forced to take the low-percentage shot or force the ball inside with the shot clock dwindling down on many occasions.

“We didn’t think they had rim protectors, they have bulk,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said postgame. “I felt like we were shooting balls like they had rim protectors, and that was the only negative there.”

An unidentifiable zone has been a speciality of the underperforming Oakland team this season. No other team in college basketball runs a zone like Oakland head coach Greg Kampe, Izzo said. 

“(Kampe) is going to play that screwed-up, whacked-out zone that nobody in the country plays, nobody,” Izzo said. “So it’s going to help us. My staff said it: any zone is hard to go against because not many people play zone anymore, but his zone is incredibly difficult to scout, to practice against, then to play against.”

As strong a defense that Oakland had Tuesday night, the Spartans matched the intensity through strong paint presence when defending. Four Spartans finished with blocks, highlighted by senior center Szymon Zapala’s six total.

Izzo and MSU came out of the second half with a new approach: attack the rim and get to the free-throw line. It forced the Golden Grizzlies to grab five fouls in the first five minutes, and the Spartans got to the line 17 times compared to just six times in the first half.

Akins and Booker were the catalysts of this powerful second half, with the former five-star forward Booker notching arguably the best game of his young career with a new career-high in scoring. In the backcourt, Akins helped push the momentum in the Spartans' favor, getting to the line for five attempts and scoring 10 of his 16 points in the second half.

“I’m happy for Xavier,” Izzo said. “Trust me when I say this — long ways to go for the team, long ways to go for Xavier. He is making progress, and he’s trusted the system, the progress, and he’s practiced a lot better.”

Booker began the season in MSU's starting lineup before being replaced by junior forward Jaxon Kohler. His season trajectory turned around in a late stretch against North Carolina in the Maui Invitational, when he notched numerous offensive putbacks and blocks to propel MSU to an overtime victory. 

Izzo said the Maui Invitational may have been the spark Booker needed to play his role effectively. 

“I don’t know why, but since Maui in the tournament even, he’s practiced better and he’s becoming pretty efficient, becoming better defensively. That would be a big addition to our team,” Izzo said.

Along with the early fouls, the Golden Grizzlies were shut down by a number of turnovers caused by MSU’s perimeter defense. The Spartans scored 12 points off turnovers throughout the contest. 

“We didn’t turn the ball over in the first half, and in the second half, (Izzo) created seven turnovers. That was all (MSU’s) guard play,” Kampe said postgame. 

Izzo noted the electricity in the atmosphere at Little Caesars Arena.

“I can’t thank our crowd enough, and hopefully Oakland’s crowd, too,” Izzo said. “(There was) a number of people from Michigan State that showed up, and that’s why I play it, so that people who never see us, can see us. And a lot of the time, those people don’t get to go into Breslin.”

Michigan State looks to add to its four-game win streak on Saturday, Dec. 21 as the Spartans travel back to East Lansing to host Florida Atlantic.