Stock Up, Stock Down Report from MSU's First Two Exhibitions

Michigan State basketball has offered two glimpses now into how it'll look this season.

The sixth-ranked Spartans now have just one preseason game left, a road game at Marquette on Sunday, following an 89-59 victory over Incarnate Word on Oct. 2 and a 78-70 loss to UConn on Tuesday. Both games were at the Breslin Center. Here are the players whose stock has been impacted the most by the first two exhibitions:

Stock Up

F Jesse McCulloch

The non-political "October surprise" for MSU has been third-year forward Jesse McCulloch. He's been one of the Spartans' better players in each exhibition game so far. McCulloch made a statement against UIW with a 20-point outburst (he's never scored more than nine in a real game) paired with five rebounds. He got the start that day in place of Cam Ward, who was out with a minor ankle injury.

UConn was a more challenging opponent, but McCulloch still looked solid with eight points and five rebounds. He also finished with a +7 plus/minus across 16 minutes, the best mark on the team. It felt like in the preseason that McCulloch would really have to work for minutes with all the options MSU had at the four and with Anton Bonke and Ethan Taylor coming in to play center, but it's clear now that McCulloch will at least start the season as one of the first players off the bench.

G Jasiah Jervis

True freshman two-guard Jasiah Jervis looks like one of Michigan State's better scorers right now. He's been in double figures in each exhibition game so far. MSU only hit three shots from behind the arc all game against the Huskies; two were from Jervis.

He was also one of five players to get at least 20 minutes against Connecticut, alongside Jeremy Fears Jr. (31), Coen Carr (29), Jordan Scott (29), and Cam Ward (24). It's still exhibition season, but Jervis getting that type of playing time already as a true freshman says something about the trust he's been able to build with Izzo so far.

C Ethan Taylor

Ethan Taylor has also made a positive first impression during his freshman season. He was a highly regarded recruit in the Spartans' recruiting class, but Taylor slumped a bit during his high school senior season, and it seemed like it might take him a year before he would be ready to take on a hefty share of the minutes in Michigan State's rotation.

Taylor's shown that he's probably ready now. The defense seems to be stronger when he's on the court, with the presence and athleticism he has at 7'1". Spacing is a concern on the other end, but Taylor is a good enough passer that things shouldn't be stagnant.

Stock Down

C Anton Bonke

It's been a struggle for Anton Bonke thus far. He's the only player MSU brought in from the transfer portal this offseason, and it seemed like when Michigan State got him that Bonke would be the clear starting center. Bonke still oozes potential as somebody who only started playing basketball about a half-decade ago, stands at 7'2", and can stretch the floor.

It hasn't clicked yet, though. Bonke only played six minutes in the UConn exhibition, and he was also benched for the entire second half. The starting spot still seems his, at least for now, but Taylor and/or McCulloch seem to be making it more of a discussion than most expected.

F Kaleb Glenn

It also may take some time for Kaleb Glenn to get going. He's only scored two points through the two exhibitions, and those points came on free throws. Glenn didn't attempt a shot in 10 minutes against Connecticut on Tuesday, either.

Glenn deserves some slack, though. He's still seeing his first live action since suffering that knee injury last offseason. He's said that, physically, he could've theoretically played during the team's March Madness run, but there's still the mental aspect of coming back from a major injury like that.

G Carlos Medlock Jr.

It's also taking freshman point guard Carlos Medlock Jr. some time to adjust to the college game. He's just 3-for-14 from the field and 0-for-7 behind the arc across MSU's two exhibitions. It's also come with four assists and four turnovers.

Michigan State needs Medlock to be that change-of-pace point guard that gives opposing defenses a different look when Fears is off the court. The shots haven't fallen for Medlock yet, but they probably will with time. Some additional live reps should help slow the game down for Medlock a bit.