MSU basketball beats North Carolina in OT in Maui: 3 quick shots

On November 29, 2024By Pranco

1. That was a huge win for MSU on several fronts

LAHAINA, Hawaii – There was a look at the Michigan State men’s basketball team on Wednesday that I hadn’t seen in any other game out of the gate this year. A determination for them. They didn’t leave Maui without beating North Carolina. Or at least not without fighting the best wire-to-wire battle they could.

It’s like they really understood that if you want to be taken seriously, you have to win some of these games.

Despite the shaky final few minutes of regulation (and parts of overtime), this 94-91 overtime victory in their Maui Invitational final was a “you better take me seriously” performance by MSU, who played without, perhaps well, the best player yet in freshman Jase Richardson, who missed the game after taking an elbow to the head in the Spartans’ loss to Memphis on Tuesday. And without Richardson, MSU played its best game of the season, almost from start to finish.

The reason: Virtually everyone else raised their game — starting with junior guard Tre Holloman, who replaced Frankie Fidler in the starting lineup and couldn’t miss in the first half and made big free throws late, and Xavier Booker, who rewrote the script for his season (and maybe career) Wednesday, and Coen Carr, who rebounded and attacked with a game-changing ferocity, and Jaden Akins, who was very good for a while, and Jeremy Fears Jr., who led the Spartans and made a boatload of free throws (and one huge defensive blunder late), and Fidler, who, when he first came off the bench, made steady and important plays throughout.

This was an incredible match to watch. And the kind of game the Spartans have lost a lot in recent years. They nearly lost this one, losing a 79-71 lead by not making a field goal over the final four minutes of regulation.

They need to work on finding offense down the road – having Richardson will help. But give MSU credit, too. When North Carolina sent this thing to overtime, with the Spartans visibly losing their footing in the final minute, I thought there was no way they could pull this out. They were gritty in overtime — all the way until the final long pass-up from three, when Carr jumped through two North Carolina players to inbound the ball and nearly end the game.

MSU shot 54% and scored 50 points in the paint – including 14 from Carr and 12 from Booker – and took advantage of a North Carolina team with some defensive deficiencies. But this is still North Carolina and the Tar Heels still have some serious firepower in the backcourt and shot making.

MSU did the same on Wednesday, with Holloman scoring 19 points and hitting three threes — all coming in the first half — and Akins scoring 14, playing well until the final minutes, and Fidler and Fears both making 13.

“They beat us in the NCAA Tournament last year, so we tried to come out fast and strong because we still had that bad taste in our mouth from last year,” Holoman said. “We just had something to prove.”

This was a huge win on several fronts — what it means for Booker’s season, for Holloman, who had struggled, for Fidler, for their collective confidence and for their non-conference resume.

The way they started and played for so long – and that they kept it going – should help them.

“That was a big win for us,” Tom Izzo said.

2. Xavier Booker, holy smokes

Depending on where Xavier Booker’s season and career goes from here, this could be remembered as a turning point. Booker was excellent in the second half and in overtime (more in a full column here).

He was the catalyst for MSU during a critical stretch when the Spartans first faltered a bit. Booker scored six points in less than a minute in the middle of the second half as the Spartans rebuilt a little cushion. It wasn’t just that he scored. That’s how he scored – with aggression in the paint, which doesn’t come naturally to him. It was also how he affected the play on the glass and how he changed shots defensively.

He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a block, his best moments coming in the second half and OT. He wanted the ball in the post. His teammates wanted him to have the ball. And they were very happy for him.

One of the best signs for this team and the scenes on Wednesday came when he left the game after that impressive stretch – his teammates were so excited for him. He came back and was in MSU’s final lineup in regulation and overtime at center. That says everything about how well he played.

3. A good game for Frankie Fidler in a big spot

Starting Tre Holloman turned out to be the absolute right move on Tuesday. MSU needed more in the opening minutes of games than Frankie Fidler gave them. I’m not sure it makes sense to return Fidler to a starting role given Wednesday’s start without him and the presence of Jase Richardson on this team coming off the bench. If there was one more move to be made, you’d think Richardson would enter the lineup.

But Fidler certainly didn’t play like someone who wasn’t hurt or sulking about it. Fidler hit 5 of 6 shots, scored 13 points and was steady and consistent offensively in a game that MSU definitely needed.

In overtime, he was there to steal a long pass and grab a big rebound. He looked like a player MSU can count on – and off the bench, too.

This column has been updated with quotes and a video.

Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow X on @Graham_Couch and Blue Sky on GrahamCouch.