Michigan State Basketball: Analyzing the Importance of Costello and Schilling

Exhibition play commenced last night for Michigan State, as the regular season is right around the corner. Arguably Sparty's top three players are gone, and the one gaping hole that remains is in the center slot. The immediate replacements are Matt Costello and Gavin Schilling.

Both players have adequate size, but neither have extensive starting experience.

Last season, Costello started several games before a mononucleosis diagnosis stripped him from the lineup. That halted an otherwise solid campaign for the 6'9" sophomore.

Now, a year later, he is rejuvenated and confident, to say the least.

While it may appear as a stretch for Costello to assert himself as the conference's best big man, especially with Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky returning, that type of expectation is a positive sign for the Spartans. They will certainly benefit from Costello's improvement.

Last year, Adreian Payne averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game. He had the talent to erupt on any given night, he scored 41 points against Delaware in the NCAA tournament and was a constant mismatch.

Unless Costello completely morphs into a different player, that type of production likely won't be replicated. But that doesn't mean that he can't be effective.

Conversely to Payne, Costello is more of a back-to-the-basket type player. Last year, many of his buckets came from penetration and dump-offs, which he would finish around the rim. His overall field goal percentage was efficient, at nearly 60 percent.

However, he must expand his offensive skill set. By Costello implementing a solid jumper into his game, the offense's possibilities will expand, and the quick Spartan guards will have wider lanes to attack.

Expecting him to shoot 42 percent from three-point range, like his predecessor, isn't realistic. But with an offseason of hard work, Costello should be able to knock down open mid-range shots.

The same goes for Schilling. Last year, he only played 6.4 minutes per game, a total that will easily double, and possibly triple, this season. At 6'9" and 240 pounds, Schilling has the physical makeup to play in the rugged Big Ten, but it remains to be seen how much he will blossom from one season to the next.

Together, Costello and Schilling will largely determine MSU's success.

Tom Izzo has been blessed with talented big men over the years, including Zach Randolph, Goran Suton, Derrick Nix and finally Payne. There haven't been many teams in East Lansing with this type of inexperience at the center position.

But the returning Spartans centers don't have to duplicate that type of greatness. Rebounding well, setting hard screens, playing solid defense and making open shots are the types of duties in which Costello and Schilling must excel.

This returning MSU team lost 44 points of scoring per game, over half of the team's average. However, the Spartans still have plenty of returning options, complemented by a solid freshman class, and joined by Bryn Forbes, a sharpshooting transfer.

Scoring won't be an issue. What Schilling and Costello can provide is size and rebounding, first and foremost.

In just 15 days, we will see just how much the duo has improved, when MSU clashes with ESPN's No. 1 ranked recruit, Jahlil Okafor, and the Duke Blue Devils at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis.

That will be a huge test. Over the next four months, Costello and Schilling will have the opportunities to assert themselves for a Michigan State team eager to prove that it can advance deep into the tournament again.

The prospect of reaching another Elite Eight and beyond will rely on the progression of the 6'9" centers.