With #1 Michigan State Hockey completing the sweep of #3 Penn State just prior to tipoff, Spartan Nation could turn its attention to basketball and the Breslin Center crowd appeared to be ready for Arkansas.
Coen Carr was certainly ready to match the crowd’s energy and got things started with a dunk to give MSU the early 2-0 lead. Arkansas responded with a 3 by Darius Acuff to kick off a 6-0 run before Michigan State responded with a run of their own.
Trey Fort, starting at the 2-guard spot after Kur Teng started the opener against Colgate, hit a mid-range jumper off the glass to make it 6-4 Arkansas. An amazing Carr putback off a Carson Cooper miss tied it at 6. MSU regained the lead when Carr found Fort for a slam and extended it to 10-6 on a Kohler lay-in from Carr.
In the midst of MSU’s run, however, Cooper picked up his second foul which sent him to the bench with 16:28 to go.
It was 14-10, MSU, after two Carr free throws. Carr then went to the bench for a rest and Arkansas took advantage. A Billy Richmond drive put the Razorbacks back up 19-18. After Nick Pringle made one of two from the line for Arkansas, Cam Ward created position for himself near the basket on an inbounds play and tied it at 20. Later, it was Ward again for his tenth point on a pass from Kohler to put MSU up 22-20 with 7:40 to go.
It went back and forth after the under 8 minute media timeout. A Richmond three put Arkansas up one. Carr was fouled on the other end and hit both to make it 24-23 MSU. Richmond broke free for a dunk after Ward couldn’t convert inside and it was 25-24 Arkansas. MSU went back up on a nice screen and slip by Jesse McCulloch from Carr. Ward converted another inbounds play to make it 28-25 MSU but a 5-2 Arkansas run tied it at 30 at the under 4 timeout.
A Carr drive put the Spartans up 32-31 but Arkansas responded. A bucket from Acuff and a putback from Meleek Thomas put the Razorbacks up 35-32 and led to a timeout from Tom Izzo.
Two Jordan Scott free throws got MSU back within one but Michigan State couldn’t take advantage of some opportunities after that. Carr couldn’t finish in the paint after a steal and later Jeremy Fears missed a runner and then a follow up bunny. Ward had a steal and drew a foul but missed his free throw attempts.
After all of that, an Acuff triple put Arkansas up 39-34. A Kohler putback at the buzzer ended the half with Arkansas ahead 39-36.
In some respects, MSU was fortunate to be down only three. Arkansas shot 50% in the first half, including 5-14 beyond the arc. MSU was 38% and 0-7 from three.
Michigan State had a narrow 21-10 edge on the boards, which included a 10-5 advantage in offensive rebounds and also forced Arkansas into 10 turnovers. The Spartans had 12 fast break points but also gave up 12 to Arkansas, which probably irritated Izzo immensely.
Ward and Carr led MSU with 12 points each at the break but Arkansas held Fears in check with the Spartan point guard going 0-6 from the floor in the first half. Acuff led Arkansas with 10 at the break.
While Cooper picked up two fouls for MSU and wasn’t much of a factor in the first half, five Razorbacks found themselves with two fouls at the break and, after struggling in the exhibition games and against Colgate, MSU went 8-11 at the line in the first half.
The second half started slowly from a points perspective at least. Michigan State created two more Arkansas turnovers on their first two possessions after the break and Trevon Brazile was the first Razorback to pick up three fouls – all of this before the first bucket of the half.
Cooper resumed the scoring on a nice slip and alley-oop from Fears to make it 39-38 Arkansas. Kohler got a soft hook to go in the lane, which made it 41-40, Razorbacks. Acuff went on to draw the third foul on Coen Carr and hit one free throw to make it a two point Arkansas lead.
Fort followed with MSU’s much-need first three to put the Spartans back up and then Fears found Kohler off the break to make it 45-42 MSU. Thomas responded with two free throws to get Arkansas within one at the under 16 minute break.
A nice play out of the break led to Copper finding Scott for a layup to make it 47-44 MSU. After Knox was short on a three for Arkansas, Cooper drew a foul on a screen roll and hit both free throws. Suddenly it was 49-44 MSU and John Calipari was bringing Brazile back in with his three fouls.
Acuff went between two MSU defenders to get Arkansas’ first hoop in over three minutes and cut the MSU lead to three. Ward and Thomas traded pairs of free throws and then Scott was right there for a putback off a Fort missed three to make it 53-48 MSU at the under 12 minute timeout.
After a Fort turnover coming out of the break, Malique Ewin got his first bucket for Arkansas. Ward followed for MSU with a nice drop step and then dunk to put MSU back up five. Another Spartan turnover led to a Brazile dunk but then Kohler put MSU back up five at 57-52 at the 10 minute mark. The Kohler hoop was MSU’s 39th and 40th points in the paint.
After an Arkansas turnover, Cooper went up high to get another alley-oop from Fears to make it 59-53, Spartans and that score would hold going into the under eight minute break.
After the break, Scott drew Brazile’s fourth foul, sending him back to the bench. Carr re-entered for MSU, drew a foul, and hit both free throws after a series of offensive rebounds for MSU. This put the Spartans up eight but DJ Wagner responded with a needed triple for Arkansas.
The Spartan lead was seven after Divine Ugochukwu found Ward for a jam and Cooper hit from the elbow sandwiched around two free throws from Acuff. It extended to eight on a Carr free throw but Arkansas wasn’t going away.
A Ewin jam cut it to 6. Then, after a three from Scott rimmed out for the Spartans, Thomas fought off three Spartans for an offensive rebound on the other end and then nailed a triple for Arkansas. The Razorbacks were back within three, 66-63 when the last media timeout occurred with 2:51 to go.
Acuff was at the line for Arkansas coming out of the break. He missed the front end of a one-and-one but Arkansas got the offensive rebound. Then, a slam by Thomas made it 66-65 off a seven point Arkansas run.
After a clunky and empty MSU possession, Nick Pringle was at the line for Arkansas and got one to drop to tie it at 66 with 1:41 to go. Cooper then drew the fourth foul on Pringle and hit one of two to put MSU back up with 1:20 to go.
MSU forced an Arkansas turnover and then Fears bailed out another rough MSU offensive possession by getting Acuff in the air behind the arc late in the shot clock. Fears hit two of his three free throws to make it 69-66 Spartans with just 43.2 seconds to go.
Arkansas then had a couple of chances on their end but couldn’t get a bucket. Jordan Scott corralled the rebound for MSU and Pringle fouled him – the fifth foul on Pringle.
Scott went to the line with a huge chance for MSU but the freshman missed both and it remained 69-66.
Arkansas rebounded and Acuff went for the tie but his three was off. MSU couldn’t get the board though and Arkansas had another chance with four seconds left.
The Spartans perhaps saved their best defense for the right time though. On the inbounds play, MSU had Arkansas’ shooters covered and the best the Razorbacks could get was a heave from Brazile which was well off.
Michigan State held on for the 69-66 win in a game that was probably just a little closer than it needed to be. It is nonetheless a good win for a team that didn’t look overly explosive through two exhibitions and the Colgate opener.
The three point woes continued for MSU as the Spartans finished just 1-14 beyond the arc. However, Arkansas came back to earth in the second half and finished just 7-28. Neither team shot particularly well, although the defense may have played a role in that, as MSU finished at 41% from the field and Arkansas hit 39%.
The Spartans also finished only 18-26 (69%) from the free throw line and hit just two of their last five at the stripe in crunch time.
It seemed like Arkansas picked up offensive rebounds at crucial times but MSU won the battle on the boards 45-33, including a 19-13 edge on the offensive end. The biggest advantage for MSU, however, was points in the paint where the Spartans had a 46-28 advantage.
Cam Ward led Michigan State with a double-double off the bench. The freshman scored 18 and added 10 boards in 23 minutes. Carr finished with 15 in 31 minutes and went 7-8 from the line. Kohler was also in double figures for MSU with 10 points while also pulling down seven boards. Fears finished 0-7 from the floor and just four points but dished out nine assists for the Spartans.
Acuff and Thomas led Arkansas with 16 apiece but the duo went just 10-31 from the floor.
Finally, with MSU Basketball continuing the big weekend for MSU Sports, remember that MSU Women’s Soccer plays for the Big Ten tournament championship tomorrow. The #2 seeded Spartans take on the top-seeded Washington Huskies at Energizer Park in St. Louis at 2 PM Eastern. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and streamed on the Fox Sports App.
