EAST LANSING - That's a pretty good start.
No. 6 Michigan State did what it was supposed to do to Quinnipiac , not giving the Bobcats any life in a 96-59 blowout victory on Monday night at the Breslin Center. That's a 1-0 start for MSU, which will now shift its focus to Thursday's matchup against Toledo (8 p.m. ET, Peacock). That'll be another "buy" game for the team to use as a launch pad into a trip to Chicago to take on No. 2 Duke.
The first real look at these 2026-27 Spartans was encouraging. Here are three specific takeaways and reasons for optimism from Michigan State's dominant win.
Michigan State's Carlos Medlock Jr., left, celebrates after strong and drawing a Quinnipiac foul during the first half on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The play of Carlos Medlock Jr. was perhaps the most exciting part of Monday's victory. He instantly provided a spark in the first half off the bench, dropping nine points with a pair of assists during his very first official shift as a college basketball player.
Medlock's fast start was encouraging for two reasons. Firstly, that type of play at the backup point guard spot was something MSU sorely missed last season. It felt like the Spartans couldn't afford to send Jeremy Fears Jr. to the bench at all against higher-quality opponents. Secondly, Medlock had largely struggled during Michigan State's exhibition games, so that type of stretch probably was a nice step for his own individual confidence.
Tom Izzo really may have fixed two of MSU's biggest issues from last season with this freshman class. Medlock is the score-first, backup point guard the Spartans desperately needed last year, and Jasiah Jervis is the crafty two-guard Michigan State didn't have. Jervis didn't have a great shooting night on Monday, but he seemed to hunt his shot relatively well off the ball, and he just missed some of the good looks he got.
The only issue was Medlock's free-throw shooting. He missed all four of his foul shots on Monday, with three coming on one trip. That's probably not a huge concern moving forward, though. Medlock never got to the stripe during MSU's three exhibition games, so there could have been some first-experience jitters there.
Michigan State's Anton Bonke, center, tips off against Quinnipiac during the first half on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Lots of eyes were going to be on center Anton Bonke during this one. He got the start, though that may have been in the absence of Jesse McCulloch, who is dealing with a "minor concussion," according to Tom Izzo's pregame words.
Bonke really took a step in the right direction on Monday, though. Probably feeling a lot of pressure, he put up a double-double during his first game with the green and white, scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds and a pair of blocks. There's a good chance that McCulloch would've started over Bonke had he been available, but Monday was a big statement from Bonke.
He actually didn't get off to a great start, dribbling the ball off his foot on the opening possession and getting a hook after an ill-advised three-point attempt, but he recovered from that. It seemed like Bonke stayed in his lane a lot more after that moment, clogging up the lane with his 7'2" frame, gobbling up rebounds, and converting some second-chance opportunities.
Yes, it's Quinnipiac, but it felt like Bonke was leaning on what he is good at more in this one than he had been during his limited minutes in the exhibition games. He doesn't necessarily need to replace Jaxon Kohler and/or Carson Cooper with how loaded MSU's backcourt is this year. Perhaps he's starting to realize that, and if those exhibition games had been behind closed doors like they had been in the past, the conversation around Bonke would be a lot different.
Michigan State's Kaleb Glenn passes the ball against UConn during the first half on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The minutes from Kaleb Glenn on Monday were a real pleasant surprise. He'd also struggled quite a bit during the team's exhibition games, and one could only wonder how much of it had to do with the mental recovery from his knee injury that sidelined him through all of the 2025-26 season.
Well, Glenn was very productive against Quinnipiac. He finished with 11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Obviously, Glenn cannot make every single shot every single game, but it was the way Glenn got his points that also felt encouraging. He hit one three and also showed some slashing ability, a big luxury for Michigan State to get from a wing.
Glenn was supposed to be the team's top portal addition last year. He showed why during his far-too-belated debut.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as 3 Instant Takeaways From MSU Basketball's Victory Over Quinnipiac .
