Three takeaways from Michigan State basketball's blowout win over USC

Just about 11 months ago, Michigan State basketball took a frustrating loss to USC on the road. On Monday, in front of a raucous alumni crowd that came to see their Spartans try to rebound from a loss to Nebraska, MSU did not disappoint, blowing out the Trojans to the tune of 80-51.

Below, you can see our three takeaways from a fun night in East Lansing.

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1. MSU still figuring out how to use Coen Carr effectively

After Friday night's loss to Nebraska, in my takeaways post, I said that Michigan State will need to figure out how to best deploy Coen Carr on offense moving forward. At the start of this game, it looked like we were in for another rough showing from the talented forward, as USC refused to guard him and instead goaded him into taking some jump shots. That changed in the second half, as Carr asserted himself more on the glass and in transition, getting to the line and ended up leading the team in scoring with 18 points.

Part of that is on the coaching staff; they can't have Carr just standing there on the perimeter. He needs to be playing inside and using his freak athleticism to draw fouls. One thing that changed how the offense was positioned is my next takeaway...

2. Jaxon Kohler is an absolute sharpshooter

Without looking it up, do you know what Jaxon Kohler is shooting from three this year? I'll help you: 51 percent. In his best season in college, Steph Curry shot 43.9 percent. Now, I'm not expecting Kohler to end the year shooting above 50 percent from three, but it's truly remarkable what he's doing from distance right now, and honestly, it's probably time for MSU to start increasing his attempt rate. He's currently averaging 3.6 three-pointers per game. I think that could easily go to five or higher. Of course, they like to keep him near the basket for his offensive rebounding and post skills, but with Coen Carr on the court, I think it behooves MSU to keep Kohler spaced out.

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3. The defense is just otherworldly

I have said this before, but I just don't want to take it for granted. MSU's defense is on another level. For my money, it's the best in the country and could be one of the best of Izzo's career. Everyone is bought in, flying around, and playing hard. Defense wins championships, they say. This year, we're going to find out if that's true.

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three takeaways from Michigan State's blowout win over USC