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Published Nov 20, 2024
Michigan State's 83-75 win over Samford was a 'really valuable' experience
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Brendan Moore  •  Spartans Illustrated
Staff Writer
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@bmoorecfb

Michigan State’s 83-75 non-conference win over Samford on Tuesday night wasn’t a typical buy game.

The Spartans did not play perfect. They got off to a terribly slow start. They turned the ball over 14 times. They allowed 47 points in the second half.

This was also not a typical high-major versus mid-major game because the opponent has been dominant in its conference for the past few years. Samford has gone 15-3 in the Southern Conference in back-to-back seasons. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament last season and gave Kansas a run for its money.

Samford played Michigan State tough because it has good players, but also because it plays a unique style of basketball that could help prepare the Spartans for some matchups down the road.

“They’re a good team,” guard Jaden Akins, who scored a career-high 25 points on Tuesday, said about the Bulldogs. “They came out, punched us in the mouth early. They play a different type of style. I feel like we kind of had to adjust to get going, but as you can see, they kept the game close throughout the whole game.”

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Samford’s unique full-court press took some getting used to. On top of the press, the Bulldogs play with a lot of tempo and shoot a lot of 3-pointers. It was such a different style that Akins mentioned he had never played a team like that before in his four years at Michigan State.

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MichiganState
FOOTBALL
Scores / Schedule
footballfootball
4 - 1
Overall Record
0 - 0
Conference Record
Finished
Michigan St.
83
Arrow
Michigan St.
Samford
75
Samford
Michigan St.
86
Arrow
Michigan St.
Bowling Green
72
Bowling Green
Michigan St.
69
Michigan St.
Kansas
77
Arrow
Kansas
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