Four minutes into the second half, Colgate tied the game on one of its 11 3-pointers, threatening a season-shaking upset. MSU pulled away thanks to strong team rebounding from top to bottom, finishing with 47 boards — 19 on the offensive glass — to stifle Colgate’s early-season Cinderella bid.

Senior forward Jaxon Kohler led all scorers with 16 points and 15 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass. Head coach Tom Izzo was critical of his captains’ leadership, saying the four weren’t able to lift the play of the rest of their team.

"We have four players who are veterans that are here, three of them aren’t playing very good right now," Izzo said. "So then we rely on other people who are just learning their ways, and that's not fair to them."

Coen Carr, despite his crowd-erupting slams in transition, was slow to his man consistently. Carson Cooper struggled with the same issues on defense, allowing Colgate to knock down open shots, in line with their mid-major style of play.

As a whole, the seniors, Carr, Kohler and Cooper combined for 38 points and 25 rebounds, but shot just 10 of 18 from the free-throw line, a consistent struggle through three games this year. 

Carr, shooting 5-for-15 from the line so far, has plenty of time to find his rhythm with 30 games remaining. Izzo referenced his 70% free-throw mark from last season, saying Carr will have both the opportunities and the support to improve.

Izzo said these issues will most likely pass, but for now, he’s "not happy."

"There’s no way I’m looking past tomorrow’s practice," Izzo said. "In fairness to the players, last year we weren’t very good through the first couple of games. This is a part of the new regime."

Though it’s early, the Spartans’ three-point woes from last season appear to have carried over. MSU shot 28.6% from beyond the arc, while Colgate hit 11 3-pointers at a 37.9% clip.

Freshmen Jordan Scott and Cam Ward brought an intensity to the game that’s rare in players of their age. The two scored just 11 points on 3-for-11 from the field, but their athleticism was prevalent, something that Izzo was happy to see.

"Scott maybe did the best job among anybody at keeping balls alive and playing hard," Izzo said. "I thought he was phenomenal ... Ward did a good job for a freshman, getting four offensive rebounds, and now he's got to make his three [free] throws."

Junior transfer guard Trey Fort and sophomore guard Kur Teng continued to battle for the final starting spot, with Teng retaining his place in the lineup. Both hit a pair of 3-pointers, but Fort finished with nine points to Teng’s six.

The two made little impact in the game beyond their sparse scoring. Izzo, after the game, said the two wings haven’t played as well as he knows they can. 

As the Spartans move on to face No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday at 7 p.m., Izzo said the sloppy play will be an emphasis in practice before facing a Razorbacks' squad that is poised to build on its success from last year, led by Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari. 

"We’ll get a little better, hopefully by Saturday," Izzo said. "If not, we’ll be embarrassed."