EAST LANSING — Max Christie made a strong first impression. Gabe Brown flashed some highlight-reel moves. And Michigan State basketball did what it should in its exhibition opener against Ferris State.
The Spartans blasted the Bulldogs with a 48-25 run between the midpoint of the first half and the 12-minute mark of the second en route to 92-58 victory Wednesday night.
Brown led MSU with 19 points, while Christie added 17 in his first appearance in green and white. It was the first game at Breslin Center with fans since clinching a share of the Big Ten regular season title with a win over Ohio State on March 8, 2020 — that game ultimately was the Spartans’ finale before the pandemic shutdown.
“It was very good,” Brown said. “It’s been 19 months since we had them. So it’s very good just to have fans back and just have that energy, because last year, we really didn’t get that type of boost.”
MSU, which went 15-13 last season and barely made the NCAA tournament, crushed Ferris on the boards 52-27 and shot 52% from the field while limiting the Bulldogs to just 31%. Coach Tom Izzo’s team also pushed the pace, as he wants to do this season, with a 38-19 edge in fastbreak points.
On the downside, Izzo was concerned over the Spartans’ 21 turnovers, their 7-for-19 3-pointers and their 19-for-31 night from the free-throw line. Yet he was pleased overall with the debut.
“I thought for a first game, we did some good things,” Izzo said at the outset of his 27th season. “I think we’re showing that were a lot different team than last year. But yet, we got a long, long way to go.”
Walt Kelser, nephew of former MSU star Greg Kelser, led FSU with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting. Vejas Grazulis added 10 points.
IZZO TALKS:Mel Tucker and Michigan State football might gain win-win from LSU coaching rumors
EXHIBITION SEASON:Michigan State basketball ready for 1st exhibition vs. Division II Ferris State
Max impact
Christie, a five-star recruit from suburban Chicago, went beyond his advance billing as an outside shooter. In fact, the freshman only took three 3-pointers (and made one) while finishing 5-for-7 from the field.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Christie twice elevated for dunks with fouls preventing him from completing them. He looked springy and quick off the floor, and had the ability to drive the lane and score in traffic. Christie also showed good speed on defense, with three steals, and a willingness to mix it up in the paint, with four rebounds.
“I’ve definitely worked hard on that sort of thing, being more physical and just be more explosive,” Christie said. “And I think that really showed a couple times on the court today.”
Brown-town
Brown, a senior captain, put together an efficient performance and showed off his athletic prowess with a driving baseline dunk and a put-back jam off a missed shot.
The 6-8, 215-pound Brown went 7-for-9 from the field and connected on three of his four 3-point attempts. He added four rebounds and a soaring block-from-behind in the first half.
“I thought Gabe Brown really played within himself,” Izzo said, “and that was good to see. … The tip dunk was a big deal to us, because he hasn’t been a guy that’s gone to the offensive boards. And I think he could be as good as anybody we’ve had.”
Rotation order
Izzo went with a starting group of Tyson Walker at point guard, Christie at shooting guard, Brown on the wing and Joey Hauser and Marcus Bingham Jr. at forward. His first three off the bench weren’t surprising, with point guard A.J. Hoggard spelling Walker and Malik Hall and Julius Marble subbing for Hauser and Bingham in the post. Jaden Akins also had a lengthy run in the first half as the ninth member of the playing group, with sophomore forward Mady Sissoko and Pierre Brooks II getting short stints.
Izzo experimented with combinations throughout, from three-guard looks to a four-forward set to running with point guards Walker and Hoggard.
“That’s one thing coach is doing. He’s switching up lineups, putting guys on the green team and the white team, just to see how they act with each other and just to see the body language and things like that,” Brown said. “But I feel like right now, we do go to great point guards. They did a lot of good things tonight. Sometimes, we just got to switch it up. AJ does some things good, and Tyson does some things good. So we’re just gonna balance the two out.”
Hoggard added five points and four assists. Hauser finished with nine points, six rebounds and four assists. Bingham had eight points in 16 minutes, and Hall added eight points and five rebounds.
Other newcomers
It was the first MSU experience for Walker, a junior transfer from Northeastern, and freshmen Christie, Akins and Brooks.
Walker committed a turnover and foul in his first 41 seconds but quickly settled down and showed his ability to run the offense in the halfcourt and take defenders off the dribble. The 6-foot, 175-pounder finished with six points on 3-for-4 shooting, five assists, three rebounds and three steals; he showed the ability to push the ball and score in transition.
Akins displayed defensive tenacity and, like Christie, a willingness to attack the offensive and defensive glass. The 6-4 combo guard had three points on 1-for-6 shooting but grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot in the paint.
Brooks started shaky early but eased into the flow in a more extended stretch in the second half. He hit a 3-pointer and set up an alley-oop dunk for Sissoko, and both of them finished with five points.
Next up
The Spartans close their exhibition season Nov. 4 against Grand Valley State (7 p.m./BTN+). They open the regular season Nov. 9 against No. 3 Kansas in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tipoff for that is 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
