Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 74-56 drubbing of Nebraska

1. MSU built its lead against Nebraska by riding Tyson Walker – at shooting guard

EAST LANSING – That’s the most we’ve seen Tyson Walker used as a featured scorer — primarily off the ball, running around screens, shooting off dribble-handoffs, etc. That’s how Michigan State built its lead Tuesday night against Nebraska. That was prime Drew Neitzel stuff for a little while, which fit the occasion, because a good chunk of the Breslin Center student section was from that era.

We’ve seen Walker as MSU’s go-to guy at times. We’ve seen him as the Spartans’ leading scorer. I don’t think we’ve seen him featured so intentionally as we saw in the first half of MSU’s 74-56 drubbing of Nebraska. It was simply riding the hot hand. That wasn't the plan going in. But it was an approach that gave the Huskers fits — to the point they had a defender face-guarding Walker at times, trying to prevent him from getting the ball.

"That's a good feeling — when people try to focus in on you," Walker said. "Now everybody else is getting better shots because they're trying so hard to guard me."

The Spartans can play Walker off the ball because of what freshman Tre Holloman is giving them in reserve at point guard. They don’t have to slide Walker over to the point when AJ Hoggard exits. MSU was plus-seven in the eight minutes Holloman and Walker played together Tuesday.

“He got hot and so we just kept on feeding him,” Holloman said of Walker.

MSU went away from featuring Walker in the second half. Back to just moving the ball. But the damage was done — on the scoreboard and in how attentive Nebraska was forced to be in defending him. Walker as the featured shooting guard for a stretch is a new wrinkle, made possible thanks to Holloman’s improvement and Jaden Akins’ return. MSU has the depth to do it. The Spartans hadn’t been in a game this important with that roster dynamic yet.

There was a lot to like about this performance by MSU — how the Spartans guarded, producing seven steals, holding the Huskers to 28% shooting in the first half, rarely allowing Nebraska to look comfortable offensively, and how they dominated the glass (46 to 29). That’s the sort of grit that’ll take this team a ways in the Big Ten. That’s not an awful Nebraska team. Ask Purdue, Iowa and Creighton.

The Spartans hit shots when they needed them — a corner 3-pointer from Joey Hauser pushed MSU’s lead back to 56-39, just as the Huskers were close to making things interesting midway through the second half. They moved the ball well, with 24 assists on 31 made buckets.

Izzo coached differently, shortening his rotation — Carson Cooper and Jason Whitens look like they’re on the outside looking in for Big Ten play — and, for a while, featuring Walker, who finished with 21 points, 14 of those in his first eight minutes on the court, his sixth bucket giving MSU a 26-13 lead with 9:22 until halftime.

A new wrinkle for opponents to consider.

2. That’s the version of Sissoko MSU needs in Big Ten play

All that really matters is Mady Sissoko is the best version of himself when MSU needs it from him — like for the next 17 games and the postseason. Like he was Tuesday. And in November against Gonzaga and Kentucky’s two All-American big men. Like he showed signs of again recently against lesser foes.

Sissoko entered this season as the Spartans’ greatest question and he answered it immediately. And then, for a while, made us all wonder a bit again.

Here’s my take on Sissoko: He’s better against bigger teams. He’s better when he’s not supposed to be the best big man on the floor. When he’s challenged to be the counter to the other team’s notable center or sizable roster. He's not skilled enough to dominate smaller players, though he should dominate on the glass against them and hasn't always this season.

Nebraska didn’t have a big man of note. But the Huskers had high-major bigs. Sissoko responded. He had 10 rebounds, five on the offensive end, and three blocks, to go along with five points and five fouls in 22 minutes. His work on the offensive glass was especially notable, as was his interior defense.

Other than fouling out, that’ll do from Sissoko.

3. The Alumni Izzone effect. Again.

You don’t want to face MSU on Alumni Izzone night. No offense to the regular Izzone, comprised of actual college students, Gen-Zers who are charged with bringing it every night. But the old farts bring a different energy — often a helpful energy on an early January weeknight. You can feel it. And the results show it.

Credit to Lansing State Journal reader and Izzone alum Steve Beckman for bringing this stat to my attention. Not counting the two COVID years (including last year’s mask-mandate, bad-weather game), MSU had covered the Las Vegas point spread each of the six previous Alumni Izzone games and done so by a whopping 9.6 points per game on average.

The Spartans did it again Tuesday. They were seven-point favorites and won by 18, bringing that Alumni Izzone average since 2015 (sans the pandemic years) to plus-10.1 points per game against the Vegas spread — and expectations.

Maybe MSU should asked them to stick around for Saturday's home game against Michigan.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State basketball beats Nebraska soundly: 3 quick takes