Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 69-66 win over Arkansas

1. We learned a ton about MSU against Arkansas — most of it really good

EAST LANSING — These are the games when you see who rises and who’s ready. We learned a ton about Michigan State’s basketball team in its 69-66 win over Arkansas on Saturday night.

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We learned that Coen Carr is up for what’s going to be asked of him this season, and that MSU has the grit on the glass, the point guard play and the big men for the road ahead. And that one of them is a freshman. Cam Ward is beyond ready.

We saw that both of MSU’s true freshmen are going to play significant roles this season and that’s for only for the best. On the other hand, concerns at shooting guard are not going anywhere. And with those concerns, the possibility that the Spartans don’t have enough outside shooting. They made 1 of 14 3-point tries Saturday.

But if you batter your opponent on the boards like MSU did — including 19-13 on the offensive glass — and hit 18 of 26 free throws, get the best you can imagine out of Carr, and 18 points and 10 rebounds out of Ward, you’ll always have a chance.

This was a promising night for this MSU team, warts and all. Because an uber-athletic opponent with some NBA skill — the sort of opponent you might see in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament — wasn’t too much for the Spartans. And that was the bar for them Saturday, given what we’d seen in the lead-up to this game.

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There will be tougher challenges, more seasoned foes, games without the Breslin Center crowd propelling you — the home crowd was probably worth 10 points in a three-point win. But for this team, at this stage, this was something.

MSU won Saturday night despite not making a shot from the floor in the final 6:02. They pulled ahead and then held on with defense and rebounding, the identities they’ll need to carry with them everywhere if they’re going to achieve their goals and dreams.

Arkansas shot 39% overall and made just 7 of 28 3s. MSU won with 46 points in the paint to Arkansas’ 28, and with 45 rebounds to the Razorbacks’ 33.

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They won because their point guard had nine assists and three turnovers and played well despite not making a shot.

“You did what you had to do to win. That’s what he did,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said of Fears.

And they won with Carr’s tenacity and the emergence of Ward. More on both of them below.

2. That’ll do just fine from Coen Carr

The concern with Coen Carr before Saturday was that he was letting wanting to be MSU’s main man get in his head, that he was getting away from the things that make him stand out, that make him special, in an effort to be a more traditional star on the wing.

Whatever that mental hurdle, Carr has figured it out. The player Carr was against Arkansas on Saturday night is a star. Maybe not the complete player he envisions becoming. But the tenacity on the glass and on the drive, the in-control nature of his offensive game, the passing included — that’s first-team All-Big Ten stuff. Whether MSU has enough around him, we’ll see — that MSU survived so much of the second half with him on the bench in foul trouble is a really good sign. Because he was their best player before that, exactly the player he needs to be.

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The Spartans needed a quick start out of Carr, something that he hadn’t done in the exhibitions or Monday’s opener. He might have given them the best first five minutes of his career. By the time he checked out for the first time, he had eight points and MSU led 14-8. It was the start MSU had to have against an Arkansas team that can run away from you if you don’t hit them first.

Carr made it clear MSU was ready for the fight with 12 points, five rebounds (two offensive), three assists and a steal before halftime. He made all four free throws and made a bounce pass to Jaxon Kohler, when it looked like he was going to drive, an added wrinkle to his game. Carr looked comfortable with the ball in his hands. Nothing rushed or forced. He missed his only 3-point attempt badly. That’s an area he still has to develop. If he starts hitting 3s, that’s cake. Everything else he provides is a must.

The shame for Carr is that he picked up two quick fouls in the second half. He was on pace for a career night. Again, the promising part of that is, unlike the first half, MSU was able to keep going without him. MSU didn’t lose any ground when he was out for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half.

He finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and those three assists. And it was a loud 15, seven and three.

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3. Freshman thoughts — the holy smokes Cam Ward edition

I thought many of MSU’s best lineups, as the season went along, might include Cam Ward. Consider “as the season went along” to be Game 2. Holy smokes, that was eye-opening. Ward spent the exhibition season and season opener fitting in, not forcing anything, letting the game come to him. You could just tell there was more to him.

These are telling matchups for a freshman. You find out if they can hang in there, add a little something or even stand out on this stage. Ward was the latter. You could see it right away. And that raises MSU’s ceiling. The Spartans wouldn’t have won this game if he was any less.

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Ward’s 18 points and 10 rebounds (three offensive) and two steals in 23 minutes — against an athletic Arkansas frontline, no less — were no fluke. He looked confident from the jump, smooth and savvy, especially on the glass. He seemed to know where the ball was going. He was a man out there. His ability gives MSU a pretty clear three-man rotation at power forward and center, with Kohler likely to play more center now, alongside Ward.

“He killed us,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said. “He’s just going and getting every ball”

MSU’s other true freshman, Jordan Scott, played 25 minutes Saturday after playing 18 minutes Monday. He’ll keep playing major minutes. He gives MSU a long, rebounding guard who’s ready for these games. He missed a couple free throws late. He’ll have more chances, because he’ll be on the floor a lot. He had seven rebounds, three on the offensive end, six points and block. He missed his only 3-point try. If his shot shows up — and he’s considered a shooter — then he’ll likely be MSU’s starting shooting guard.

Tom Izzo and Co. definitely hit with both of their freshmen.

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Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball wins out-grinds Arkansas, 69-66: 3 quick takes