With its back against the wall, the Michigan State men's basketball team showed some grit and resiliency in an 88-80 win over the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini win on Saturday.
Following a disappointing loss on the road at Minnesota on Tuesday - and then finding themselves down 72-64 with 7:38 left to play against Illinois on Saturday - the Spartans responded in a big way to earn a much-needed Quad One win for its NCAA Tournament resume.
A sequence that changed the game and gave Michigan State momentum happened with 2:36 left to play. Down 74-72, graduate senior forward Malik Hall made a bucket and got fouled. He hit the free throw to give MSU the one-point lead, 75-74. Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins then made a pair of free throws on the other end, putting the Fighting Illini back up 76-75. On the next trip on the offensive end, Hall completed another and-one play, giving the Spartans the lead back again, 78-76.
That's when the Michigan State defense took over.
A steal by graduate senior guard Tyson Walker led to a fast-break layup, and then on MSU's next defensive possession, senior point guard A.J. Hoggard got a steal of his own and drew a foul. Hoggard hit both free throws giving the Spartans an 82-76 lead with 1:39 left to play. Michigan State never looked back from there, ultimately winning the contest by eight points.
Following the victory, several Spartans looked back on that stretch of play.
"Just being aggressive," Walker said about the game-changing sequence. "(Hall) scored it. He made the first free throw. Then they came down and got fouled. And then (Hall) came down and did it again, and that gave us a two-point lead. It was just big. I think I got the steal right after that. And then A.J. (Hoggard) got the steal. So, just making winning plays — that's what Coach (Tom Izzo) has been talking about, winning plays, like who's gonna get the big stop? So that was big for us to step up today."
Hall felt grateful that head coach Tom Izzo and his team trusted him in clutch situations. When his number was called, he delivered.
"It means a lot," Hall said about being called upon in late-game situations. "It's something that I've always wanted. I mean, every kid dreams of being in that situation, top-10 game, you want to be the guy taking the shot. When you're a little kid, that's what you're (imagining) all on the hoop when you're just shooting, so I mean, it's a big deal for sure."
The Minnesota loss earlier in the week was tough to take, and Michigan State felt it should have won that contest.
Izzo voiced his displeasures with his team afterward and had some uncomfortable conversations with his players, but the Spartans were not going to dwell on it for too long. Instead, the team took the criticism, watched the film, learned from it, and bounced back with a win over Illinois.
Walker noted that the coaches put together a strong game plan and the players paid close attention to the scouting report against the Illini. The attention to detail is what helped MSU get the win over a top-10 team.
"It was good," Walker said. "Just not trying to drop two in a row. We definitely thought we let one go at Minnesota, so just trying to be better. We did a good job on the glass today, and especially with turnovers, we only had six. So, just making winning plays, like I said. (We had) a great game plan, but it's what you're gonna do after the play, like after their plays don't work, you know, just guarding your man one-on-one or getting a big rebound."
Hoggard noted that the team never gave up on itself and stayed strong mentally throughout the contest.
"We fought," Hoggard said about the victory. "We kept our mental capacity, stayed positive. Basketball is a game of runs, we knew with how talented (Illinois) was that they were gonna make a run. So, we just had to keep ourselves level-headed and bounce back and fight and make our run."
Walker also discussed how the Spartans were resilient on Saturday, and explained that it took a lot of effort on both ends of the floor to turn the tide.
"It's just getting big stops," Walker noted about MSU's ability to come back from Illinois' run in the second half. "And getting good shots, we kind of took a couple bad ones, so just trying to get better shots. I think we ran the offense pretty well and moved the ball."
Walker also noted that energy from the crowd and from the Michigan State bench helped propel the Spartans on the court.
"Energy is contagious," Walker said. "If just one person brings it, everybody feeds off it, even the Izzone feeds off it. So, you've just gotta bring it, and the best way to bring it is just being aggressive."
