"I thought we started off phenomenal," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "Defense was great. What was really good about the first half is that we were playing with energy and we were playing with some consistency."

The 79–60 MSU victory started with defense — physical, suffocating defense that SJSU struggled to solve.

In the first ten minutes of the game, the green and white defenders protected the basket with precision, helping MSU surge to a 14-point lead. During that span, SJSU shot just 1-for-12, suffering a six minute scoring drought in the process. 

SJSU's inefficient offense was the product of MSU’s fast and physical defensive display. In the post, MSU defenders — including centers Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper — bumped bodies, held their ground, and contested or blocked shots. Kohler finished 5-for-12 with 17 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks. Cooper went 6-for-7 for a career-high 17 points, adding seven rebounds, one block and four steals.

Beyond the three point arc, MSU defenders such as guard Jeremy Fears and forward Coen Carr played fast and demanding, closing out and contesting shots. Fears finished the game going 4-for-7 with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds. Carr finished going 4-for-7 with eight points, two blocks and four electrifying dunks. 

But then SJSU adjusted — especially as the second half began. What had been a fast, physical MSU defensive machine turned into a methodical, sluggish unit that struggled to wake up and get stops. SJSU shot 9-for-30 in the first half. In the second, it went 11-for-26 and scored 37 points, making the game far more uncomfortable for MSU than it should have been.

The leader of this resurgence was Colby Garland. The SJSU guard was a force that MSU struggled to handle all night. He drove to the basket, took good shots and played physically against a known physical team. To finish the game, Garland finished with 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting with three rebounds and three assists. 

"What happened at halftime? I did a poor job of getting my team ready to play the second half," Izzo said. "I'm the first leader. As I said, when the head dies, the body follows. So I must have died at halftime. I gotta do a better job myself, and then they do, too."

Offensively, MSU did its job. It not only scored more points than its opponent, but it had 25 assists on 28 baskets, 13 offensive rebounds, 25 free throw attempts and only committed nine turnovers. 

MSU played fast in transition, took good shots, drove to the basket with force, and was able to find the open man time and time again. But it wasn’t consistent. 

"We just have to play better consistently," Izzo said. "We have to play for forty minutes, and I think we have to do that by rotating some guys."

MSU’s offensive and defensive efforts combined for a victory, but not for consistency. On Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the Champions Classic against No. 9 Kentucky, MSU will try to find that consistency in another early-season SEC–Big Ten battle.