Michigan State men's basketball is at a key point in the 2023-2024 season. The Spartans are entering the month of December with a 4-3 record and have a pivotal three-game stretch coming up with games against Wisconsin, Nebraska and Baylor.
“December is one of those months where you kind of gotta find a rhythm going into January,” point guard A.J. Hoggard said. “You get a taste of two Big Ten games, then we get other games in that month as well. So you kind of get a taste of how it’s going to be, especially for our young guys who haven’t been through the Big Ten wars yet. It gives them kind of a feel and understanding of how it’s going to be going into January every night. It’ll definitely be helpful.”
MSU is entering Big Ten play starting on Tuesday in East Lansing against the Badgers. The Big Ten season is different from non-conference basketball. The veterans on Michigan State’s roster — Malik Hall, Tyson Walker, Hoggard and others — know that. Their goal is to bring the young guys along for the ride of the Big Ten season and make sure they’re prepared.
“We know what it’s like,” Hoggard said about the Big Ten season. “Being the veterans now, again, kind of a reset going into Big Ten play. Just helping the young guys understand, the dog fights it’s going to be every night from top to bottom, whether it’s the 14th team or if it’s the No. 1 team.”
The physicality of Big Ten teams is something that Hoggard cited as one of the factors that makes the Big Ten different from non-conference play.
“We play some teams that are really physical,” Hoggard said. “Every night it’s going to be physical. The scouting is unbelievable across the whole league. We’ve been playing the same coaches for a long time. A lot of teams are the same, so they know us, we know them. (We) kind of gotta find out ways to win.”
Tyson Walker's illness
Michigan State will have fresher legs going into Tuesday’s night. The Spartans' last game was against Georgia Southern last Tuesday, an 86-55 victory. Wisconsin plays No. 3 Marquette on Saturday.
The week off came at the right time for Walker after he came down with an illness, which forced him to miss the Alcorn State game. Head coach Tom Izzo said that Walker dropped 14 pounds because of the sickness.
“I gained all my weight back,” Walker said. “It’s just good to be off.”
The good news for Michigan State and Walker is that he is feeling better after playing against Arizona on Thanksgiving Day while not at 100%.
“I definitely feel a lot better,” Walker said. “I was nowhere near 100 perecent, like with just how I was feeling, against Arizona. I definitely feel way better. Just taking time, it’s not going to happen overnight with being sick. Just doing everything I can do to feel better.”
He also played in the most recent game against Georgia Southern and scored 13 points.
Walker is not a guy who wants to sit out. During his freshman season at Northeastern, Walker played through a torn shoulder in the conference tournament.
“I was terrible,” Walker said about the conference tournament during his his freshman year. “So, we played a conference tournament and as soon as we got done, I got surgery the next day.”
Walker had every reason to sit out that conference tournament. When he was asked about why he played, he responded very bluntly.
“I don’t like sitting out,” Walker noted.
