Friday’s game was the first time MSU has celebrated the annual Izzone Campout alongside an exhibition game. This year, the NCAA allowed for a third exhibition game on the basketball calendar. Because of the added game, MSU ended its 30-year-long Michigan State Madness tradition. Now, MSU will hold an autograph signing event on the afternoon of the MSU football game against Illinois on Oct. 10.

MSU head coach Tom Izzo took the court post-game to thank fans for coming out during this year’s campout. 

“It is one of the unique things that we have at Michigan State, and I'm damn proud of it,” Izzo said.

MSU will play two more exhibitions before kicking off the regular season at home against Quinnipiac on Nov. 2. The Spartans face UConn at Breslin Center on Oct. 20 and go on the road for a tune-up against Marquette on Oct. 25.

MSU’s offense was hot all night as the Spartans racked up 45 first-half points. Sophomore forward Jesse McCulloch netted a career-high 20 points with a pair of triples, while last year’s breakout talent, sophomore forward Jordan Scott, scored 16 on 75% shooting. 

The Spartans had spurts of flashy, explosive offense, but when new rotations took the floor, the team’s cohesion fell apart. MSU turned the ball over 18 times and was outscored in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The defense was mostly lackadaisical, as Incarnate Word often made easy cuts to the basket.

McCulloch’s confidence and skill took a big leap from last season. Against the Cardinals, he pulled up from three, stormed toward the rim, forced turnovers on defense and took charge of the offense in most situations. McCulloch has never scored more than 9 points in a game before. On Friday, he more than doubled that figure, shooting 8-of-13 with 5 rebounds. 

McCulloch said his growth can be attributed to his mentors before him and the work ethic he’s had during the past two years.

“It's all about the preparation, and we prep really hard,” McCulloch said. “I learned from the past guys and the culture and Jeremy (Fears), Coen (Carr) and all of our leaders. Learning from them really helped me to see what I can and should not do.”

Jeremy Fears Jr. was back to his old ways, passing the rock. He had 13 assists, 8 more than the next-highest Spartan. Last season, Fears led the country with 9.4 assists per game.

After the game, Fears said he is always looking to get his team as many open chances as possible with various weapons across the court.

“We got a little bit of everything,” Fears said. “So I know my job is to just give them the ball, and then they got the hard part.”

As it normally does at Michigan State Madness, MSU recognized its women’s basketball team at halftime. Head coach Robyn Fralick addressed the mostly student crowd, urging them and everyone else in attendance to go to more women’s basketball games.

With 30 seconds remaining, former manager-turned-walk-on Matthew Watkins took the floor for the first time as a full-time player. Fans chanted his name before Izzo gave in and sent him to the scorer's table to check in. Watkins chucked an airball three as the clock hit zero. 

The Spartans now look toward the team that eliminated them in the NCAA Tournament in March. MSU faces UConn in its second exhibition at Breslin Center at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20. The game will stream live on Big Ten Plus.