Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota appeared to be a tipping point, at least on social media, for many Michigan State fans regarding the current team and staff.
Not to relive the loss too much, but Michigan State had a 45-36 lead before Minnesota went on a 23-11 run in the final 13 minutes of the game to win 59-56. That coincided with the three-minute absence of Tyson Walker, due to a re-aggravation of his pulled groin, which kickstarted Minnesota’s run.
During the week, Tom Izzo and the staff had long meetings; Izzo even had time to do some self-reflection.
It wasn’t just Izzo that had some reflecting to do after the loss. A.J. Hoggard and Malik Hall were the subjects of much of the social media criticism, after combining for 10 points against the Gophers.
Hoggard knew that he needed to do a better job down the stretch of games, including getting better shots for the team around him.
He needed to prove it on the court.
Luckily for Hoggard and the Spartans, a top-10 team wearing orange and blue was set to walk into East Lansing just a few days later, ready to offer up a redemptive arc. Could the Spartans make it happen?
There was a different energy in the Breslin Center against Illinois. It was a Saturday afternoon game on national tv (CBS) and the Spartans were welcoming in a top-10 team for the first time this season. The Izzone was loud and rowdy and all 15,000+ in attendance had white rally towels waving through the air.
This game was as close to a must-win as there could be in college basketball - and it felt like a March game. And in March games, veterans and experience help significantly.
Those veterans pulled through for Michigan State - Walker, Hall and Hoggard combined for 64 of Michigan State’s 88 points in an 88-80 victory.
Hoggard posted 23 points, five assists, two steals and - the thing he was most proud of - he didn’t turn the ball over once. Hall added 22 points and five rebounds of his own. As Izzo put it, the veterans “rose up” and responded after Tuesday’s loss.
Free throws were a big reason why MSU lost to Minnesota. The Spartans were an abysmal 41.2% from the line. Hoggard did his job from the charity stripe against Illinois as he hit some critical free throws late in the game, the exact opposite of what happened on Tuesday.
“A.J. is a guy I’ve been on for four years,” Izzo said after the game. “Tonight you saw why.”
Izzo said that he saw a “different” Hoggard tonight. It was a version of a typical Izzo veteran point guard that takes charge and leads the team himself. Hoggard’s defensive tenacity - especially in the second half - “changed everything” for the Spartans and it got the crowd and team energized.
Whatever buttons Izzo pushed with Hoggard today worked. Now, it’s a matter of consistency as the Spartans bought themselves some breathing room for an NCAA Tournament berth.
After an up and down week for Michigan State basketball, the Minnesota loss and the way it happened may have been a tipping point and a wake-up call for not just the fans, but for the players and coaches too.
There were conversations among the team and coaches this week of how Michigan State is not guaranteed a tournament spot because of the name on the front of the jersey. The coaches and players have to go earn it. And they took a massive step forward in earning a bid with the quad one victory over the Fighting Illini.
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