A roller coaster of a month for head coach Tom Izzo and the Michigan State men's basketball team in December should prepare the Spartans for what will likely be another fun (?) Big Ten season.
The Spartans opened the month of December by dropping their first two conference matchups against Wisconsin and Nebraska before winning their final four games of the 2023 calendar year, including an impressive 88-64 thrashing of (then undefeated) Baylor at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Most recently, Michigan State defeated an Indiana State team that came to East Lansing with an 11-1 record in the 2023-2024 season.
The team also took an unexpected blow, possibly losing Jeremy Fears Jr. for the remainder of the season after the freshman point guard was shot in the leg while on holiday break in his hometown of Joilet, Illinois. There will be no timetable for his return — sad news for a player who has already shown major promise in a crowded MSU back-court.
After entering the 2023-2024 campaign ranked as the No. 4 team in the country, and eventually falling out of the polls completely after a slow start, the national radar is off of Michigan State currently, and maybe that’s a benefit.
It’s well documented what this program can do when it is counted out. Now, moving forward, the Spartans finally have a bit of momentum to move them through the beginning of the Big Ten gauntlet.
Let’s take a look at how some of the current players are trending entering the new year.
Trending up: A.J. Hoggard
After shooting a less than stellar 31% (18-for-58) from the field in the first six games of the season, Hoggard has turned things around and is starting to look more like the point guard we saw put on a rampage during the NCAA Tournament in March of 2023.
The senior point guard was more aggressive in December and it showed in his numbers, averaging 13.3 points and 6.0 assists per game on 54% shooting from the field. His long-range shot has been trending upward as well, albeit on low volume, shooting 42% (6-for-14) from 3-point distance in the month.
The best part of the upward trend for Hoggard is that it feels like there's another gear (or two) left for him to shift to. With fellow guards Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins (who also has seen a big uptick in his production after a slow start) also playing at a high level, and guard Tre Holloman taking a step forward in his play, Hoggard has other players he can rely on. Yet, the team simply plays the best when Hoggard is more aggressive.
Izzo has been vocal about wanting Hoggard to take on a higher leadership role within the team and he’s seemed to embrace it. If he can hit that other gear, the Spartans will be able to play with just about any team.
Trending slightly down: Malik Hall
Hall has had one of the more interesting careers in East Lansing since he came to campus in 2019. The fifth-year senior has missed multiple stretches of time due to injuries throughout his tenure. He’s had many games where he was the best player on the court, and others where you forget he’s out there. Consistency is crucial with Hall.
The 6-foot-7 forward made the decision to return this season with the hopes he will be a contributor to another tournament run in March. Along with Hoggard and Walker, he’s counted on to be a leader for a group full of underclassmen.
His numbers in December were not bad, but again, the consistency just hasn’t been there the way the Spartans will need it later in the season. Hall had 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Nebraska, where he led the Spartans that night in points, rebounds and assists (tied with Hoggard with three). In the Wisconsin game a few nights prior, he had just two points on three shot attempts.
Losing the shooting and reliability of Joey Hauser at the four-position from last year's team left the Spartans with a gaping hole. While Hall was never really expected to shoot at the same clip as Hauser, his return was supposed to help fill some of the production at that starting power forward spot.
This Michigan State team is guard-oriented and will go where they take them, but Hall becoming a more consistent player each night lifts the team’s ceiling, and his leadership is vital for the Spartans to find success.
Still too early to judge: Coen Carr, Xavier Booker
Two of the four freshmen from Izzo’s heralded 2023 freshman class have been solid in limited action this season, with many fans clamoring for more minutes.
Carr is averaging 5.2 points per game in 18 minutes per night; while the freshman forward is still raw in his abilities, he shows athletic flashes that will remind you of a younger Zion Williamson.
With the Spartans still being somewhat thin in the front-court, Carr will have his opportunities to grow this year, but he still needs time adjusting to this level. His jump shot may still be a year away from improvement, but he can still impact the game in many other ways, most notably as a lob threat and dunker.
Booker, the fellow freshman forward, is one of the highest rated recruits Izzo has ever brought to East Lansing, but he has only played 10 minutes per game so far, averaging 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. The lack of game action has seemed to frustrate fans more than Booker himself, who has been self-aware of his development.
The 6-foot-11 freshman big man has the shooting touch and defensive instincts that will make him an NBA player one day, but today, Izzo is taking his time with him as he still needs to add weight and play stronger.
The Spartans have experienced big men who have been through the trenches of a full season. Sophomore forward/center Jaxon Kohler, who is yet to play this season following foot surgery, is expected to return to action soon as well. But Booker will eventually get his time. And it may be this year, it may not.
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