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Michigan State hoops falls to James Madison in thrilling, yet disappointing season opener

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:

Michigan State figured it out the hard way last night: James Madison athletics is everywhere these days.

The Dukes are 9-0 in football and now 1-0 in basketball after downing No. 4 Michigan State Monday night in East Lansing, 79-76.

It was as perfect an opening night hoops contest as there could be for everyone except Michigan State fans. The Spartans were outrebounded but more importantly, simply couldn’t hit their 3-point shots. Michigan State finished 1-20 from beyond the arc. The starting unit went 0-17.

James Madison didn’t shoot very well from range, but still drilled 7 more 3-pointers than Michigan State. Here’s JMU’s most critical 3-pointer of the night to put Sparty to bed:

It wasn’t all bad for MSU. For what it’s worth, JMU was picked to win the Sun Belt this season. The Dukes are a solid opponent that is very likely to make it to the Big Dance come March.

Tyson Walker had an incredible night for the Spartans, dropping a game-high 35 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals. Only he and Coen Carr eclipsed 10 points for MSU.  And remember, Walker hit 35 without nailing a single 3-pointer.

Michigan State will look to bounce back from opening night’s blues on Thursday night against Southern Indiana.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.