Michigan State coach Tom Izzo seems sure of one thing entering his team’s second game of the season.
If the Spartans don’t improve dramatically from their opening-night performance, they have no chance of beating No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday night in East Lansing, Mich.
No. 22 Michigan State struggled to put away unheralded Colgate on Monday before emerging with an 80-69 win.
“I didn’t think in general that our young guys or (transfers) played great. But it’s early,” Izzo said. “Thirty more games to go, and we’ll get a little better. Hopefully by Saturday, because if we are not, we’ll get embarrassed.”
The Raiders shot 47.4% from the field, compared with the Spartans at 41.7%.
Free throws and rebounding saved the Spartans. Michigan State attempted 31 more foul shots than Colgate and outscored the Raiders 24-4 in that category. The Spartans also outrebounded the visitors 47-25.
That provided little consolation for Izzo or his players.
“I mean honestly forget the win; we as a team didn’t achieve what we wanted to achieve,” big man Jaxon Kohler said. “We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, and I think that we all need to make sure we analyze the last couple games, good exhibition games and just really focus on what we got to do better as a team.
“We’ve got to get better at defense. I think that was something that really hurt us, and we need to make sure we keep out-rebounding the other team the whole game, not just one half. We have to make sure our offense is flowing, no bad turnovers, get into a free-flowing offensive system.”
Michigan State started four players who were in Izzo’s rotation last season, and that quartet will be relied upon heavily against the Razorbacks. The combination of Kohler, Carson Cooper, Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. combined for 52 points, 30 rebounds and 14 assists in the opener.
Arkansas opened its season the same night with a 109-77 thumping of Southern. Forward Trevon Brazile, who averaged 6.8 points a game last season, posted 25 points and 11 rebounds.
A pair of freshman guards made splashy debuts. Darius Acuff had 22 points and four assists, while Meleek Thomas supplied 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Acuff was the top-ranked point guard in this year’s recruiting class, and he starred in the opener.
“It was nice because it was like a 13-point game, and then all of a sudden you look up and it’s 25,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said. “But he made basket after basket.”
Thomas came off the bench, but Calipari said he plans to get Thomas and Acuff on the court at the same time more often. The game on Saturday could come down to how well Michigan State contains Arkansas’ dynamic freshmen duo.
“They need to be on the floor together 20 minutes at least,” Calipari said. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious, wouldn’t you say? If anybody watched. So they need to be out there. So even if one doesn’t start, and the other starts the second half, whatever I do, I need to have 20 minutes of them together.”
