Michigan State 98 McNeese State 56 Game Recap

Almost everyone has Michigan State as the favorite to win the Big Ten and the Spartans looked the part in their season opener against McNeese State. The Spartans got off to a quick start and doubled up (plus two more points) McNeese State 52-25 in the first half. After posting a huge lead the Spartans coasted on their way to a 98-56 victory over the Cowboys.

Thanks to the lead the Spartans were able to empty the bench, playing 15 different players, none of which played more than 27 minutes. The Spartans were led by sophomore Gary Harris who scored 20 points on 15 shots. Harris shot effectively from deep and added 10 rebounds and 6 assists. The Spartans had six different players end up with double figures in scoring. Even more dominating was the Spartans performance on the glass, out rebounding McNeese State 64-25. Michigan State's efficiency on the glass helped make up for the team committing considerably more turnovers than the Cowboys.

The Spartans are the Big Ten favorites and they played the part tonight. Everyone from Gary Harris and Keith Appling to Branden Dawson and Adreian Payne all had solid nights and the Spartans took care of business early.

While Michigan State faced an overmatched McNeese State tonight, they'll have a much tougher battle on Tuesday when they square off versus Kentucky in one of the seasons most exciting early season games.