24 Louisville @ 3 Michigan State: ACC/B1G Challenge Player Ratings

Still working my way through the ACC/B1G Challenge. 

24 LOUISVILLE 67 @ 3 MICHIGAN STATE 71

Louisville Cardinals

C Chinanu Onuaku: 4

F Jaylen Johnson: 4

F Damion Lee: 8

G Trey Lewis: 7.5

G Quentin Snider: 5.5

C Mangok Mathiang: 6

F Anas Mahmoud: 6.5

G Donovan Mitchell: 5

F Raymond Spaliding: N/A

Team Rating: 6.38

Louisville was winning for the majority of this fame, despite 65% of their offense coming from two players: Damion Lee and Trey Lewis. They played physical, and were aggressive on the defensive end. They did a great job forcing turnovers (Michigan State had 17), and stole the ball ten times. However, Louisville shot terribly, 43.3% from the field, and 23.5% from three point range, and they struggled on the boards, allowing Michigan State to out rebound them, and grab 17 offensive rebounds, even though Michigan State usually plays a small team. Louisville needs to find a third scorer.

Onuaku was the most disappointing player for Louisville. He has the size to dominate a small team like Michigan State, who only start one player taller than 6'5. He made his presence known on the defensive end by blocking a shot, his only block early. However, as the game wore on he got into foul trouble, particularly in the second half. Onuaku never got things going on the offensive end. He did a nice job receiving the ball in the low post, and backing up Deyonta Davis to score close to the basket, but only showed that once. He finished 1-4, scoring just two points. He also had six rebounds. Jaylen Johnson started at power forward. He was pretty silent during his time on the court, taking only three shots for two points, and grabbing only one rebound.

Mangok and Mahmoud both received more minutes than their starting counterparts down low. Mathiang (which seems less of a last name than Mangok) showed some really good moves in the low post, and also driving baseline. He's shooting 56.3% from the field this season, and averaging 7.5 points. His numbers against MSU fell in line with those averages, 3-6 for seven points. He grabbed four rebounds. All of which, were on the offensive end. Anas Mahmoud has now played 25 minutes in each of his last two games. He shot just one for five, and 0-4 from the FT line. However, he proved to be a versatile defender. Lousiville often used him on the wing, and he even spent time defending Denzel Valentine. He actually did a nice job containing Valentine, and preventing MSU from getting him the ball for a time. Mahmoud ended up with six rebounds, and three of the team's four blocks.

As stated before, 65% of Louisville's points came from either Damion Lee or Trey Lewis. Damion Lee shot 8 of 15, leading the team with 23 points. However, he was only 2-8 from 3pt range. Lee is a good fit for Louisville's pressure based defense, and stole the ball five times. He also turned the ball over four times though. Trey Lewis was just behind Lee, 7-13 for 21 points. Lewis looked especially good in the first half while driving to the basket. His ball handling ability looked good, despite his three turnovers, and finished with three assists as well. I would not mind seeing Lewis play more point guard with Snider on the bench. Both Lee and Lewis look like two players who can lead Louisville into the tournament. However, the pieces around them need to step up.

Quentin Snider is not my favorite player on this team. He plays good defense, especially while pressuring. However, he is not an asset on the offensive end. He shot just 2-8 for four points this game, and had only one assist. The freshman, Donovan Mitchell came in as a sub for both Snider and Trey Lewis. His offensive potential is exciting, and he is a great athlete. He looks excellent in transition, and is capable of driving to the basket. His jump shot needs work, and he missed both of his 3pt attempts, but there is a lot of potential here. Mitchell unfortunately fouled out in just 20 minutes, freshman.

I'm disappointed Deng Adel is injured. He is another exciting freshman, although he was not shooting well through two games prior to injuring his knee. Hopefully he's back in time for the ACC season. The Cardinals need some help on the offensive end.

Michigan State Spartans

F Matt Costello: 5.5

F Javon Bess: 3

G Denzel Valentine: 8.5

G Bryn Forbes: 9

G Lourawls Nairn: 5

F Deyonta Davis: 8

F Kenny Goins: 9

G Eron Harris: 5

G Matt McQuaid: 4.5

G Alvin Ellis: N/A

F Marvin Clark: N/A

Team Rating: 6.88

Michigan State was losing by as much as 13 points in the first half, but they battled, and came back in the second half led by Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes. Michigan State also got some surprisingly strong minutes from Kenny Goins off the bench, which gave Michigan State some added size. Michigan State won despite turning the ball over 17 times, not that they want to make a habit of it. They did this by out rebounding Louiville, getting eight blocks on defense, and getting some timely 3pt shots down the stretch.

Matt Costello is a key player for Michigan State being the only starter above 6'5. He is a good asset on offense. He can score in the post, and also make some mid range jumpers. Costello shot 2-6 for seven total points, which actually falls right in line with his numbers for the season, 2.6-6 for 7.6 ppg. Despite grabbing only five rebounds, Costello proved to be a force inside defensively blocking three shots. Javon Bess is the other starter in Michigan State's frontcourt. However, the undersized forward could not get rolling early in the game. He was 0-2 shooting with a turnover despite grabbing three quick rebounds. As a result, he spent most of the game on the bench. Bess is usually a pretty solid player for MSU. He is averaging seven points and four rebounds, while shooting over 50%. However, the team decided to play a bigger front line against Louisvile.

Due to playing a bigger lineup, Michigan State relied more heavily on freshmen Deyonta Davis and Kenny Goins. Davis, a former top-50 recruit, is one of the country's best freshman. He is becoming a dominate post player. He shot 4-6 against Louisville, scoring nine points, while grabbing six rebounds, and blocking three shots. Davis should receive more than 20 minutes for the remainder of the season as he settles in beside Costello in the post. Goins is a gritty and active forward at just 6'6. He played exceptionally well against Louisville, and played quite a bit down the stretch. Goins grabbed 13 rebounds, and scored five points on 2-2 shooting.

Denzel Valentine (and again, I almost typed Washington) has been the best player in the country thus far this season. His performance against Louisville did nothing to change that. Valentine struggled in the first half, but stormed back in the second, and led Michigan State down the stretch. He shot 7-16, scoring a game high 25 points, and was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. He did not quite have a triple-double (although he has had two already this season), but he did have five rebounds, and seven assists. Overall, it was a good game for Valentine, especially late in the second half. However, he did turn the ball over four times, struggling against Louisville's press.

Bryn Forbes had MSU's most important performance. He put on a terrific shooting display, going 7-11 from the field, and 5-9 from beyond the arc. He scored a total of 20 points. Forbes does not create his own shot often, but he does a good job getting himself open, and is a great compliment to Valentine. Frobes also had two rebounds, two assists, and steals this game. Lourawls Nairn is similar to Quentin Snider. He plays good defense, doesn't turn over the ball, but also doesn't offer much on offense. Nairn was 0-5 from the field, and assisted twice. On the season he is shooting just 36.1%, and 23.1% from 3pt range. However, he is averaging 4.1 assists, and just 0.8 turnovers.

Eron Harris and Matt McQuaid were the reserve guards for MSU. Harris is a potential big time scorer, but has been very inconsistent this season. He shot just one for five this game. McQuaid is a solid shooting freshman. He made three 3pt shots against Kansas a month ago. However, he has cooled down since then, and is averaging only 3.9 points per game. He did not even attempt a shot this game, and turned the ball over twice.