In Saturday’s battle with Arkansas, MSU shot 1-for-14 from beyond the three-point line. The Spartans prevailed, but the issues from beyond the arc can creep up in the direst situations. Last year, they failed to reach 70 points in all but one of its losses, pointing to a persistent issue in the halfcourt that has seeped into this year's squad.

After a 2-0 start, MSU will be back at home on Thursday, Nov. 13, against San José State at 6:30 p.m.

The biggest positive from last week’s games were one thing: Tom Izzo teams will always play to their strengths. MSU thrived in the post and the half-court. The Spartans' most successful series of plays against Arkansas was when Jeremy Fears Jr. got a screen and found Jaxon Kohler in the paint, who either posted up his man for a score or dished it to freshman Cam Ward for a slam.

Some teams might roll over and quit when shots aren’t falling, but MSU hasn’t. Through two games and two exhibitions, MSU is shooting 25.6% from beyond the arc, a stat that would likely place MSU at the bottom of the conference for a second year. But even on the misses, their defense has proved strong and physical as ever. 

Izzo said the team is working on the shooting piece, but he’s ultimately happy they could score it in the paint.

I think we did that on purpose so we could prove we can win without scoring," Izzo said. "We’re not shooting it well; it’s no secret. I do think one of the game plans was to go inside."