Observations from Michigan State basketball's exhibition win over Grand Valley State

Michigan State basketball beat Grand Valley State 73-56 in an exhibition game on Tuesday. The game was the first of two exhibitions for the program. Next exhibition is against Tennessee on October 23. Michigan State's first home game is on November 7 against Northern Arizona. The team is going on a cross-country non-conference tour after that.

Michigan State basketball won an exhibition game against Grand Valley State. Izzo believes his team failed the test. Malik Hall agrees with his coach. The team was left out of the preseason Associated Press Top 25 rankings. It's too early to be alarmed by anything this team does. The Spartans are in for a rough season. They didn't come out focused to start the game.

Mady Sissoko is showing some improvement as a starting center for Michigan State basketball. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks. The big tests are yet to come for the team. They will know more by Christmas. It's possible the center position will be a crippling weakness for this squad. They don't have the roster to consistently challenge Sisoko one-on-one or as an help defender.

Tyson Walker played well at point guard for Michigan State. He finished with 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, three rebounds and four assists. Freshman Tre Holloman played backup point for the Lakers. Jaden Akins will play at the point when he returns from injury. The team won the exhibition game. It was their first game against a major college team.

Michigan State basketball won the exhibition game against Grand Valley State. The team's freshman center, Carson Cooper, played for the first time. Cooper is a 6-foot-11, 11-pounder from Jackson, Michigan. He will play a lot of games this season.

Akins was not in uniform for the game. Keon Coleman, the football wideout and part-time shooting guard, was watching the team warm up. Coleman was sitting behind the bench with tight end/forward Maliq Carr, who also joined the club last January. It's unclear if both players will be back playing for Izzo at the conclusion of the season.