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Published Mar 21, 2023
The maturation of A.J. Hoggard
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David Harns  •  Spartans Illustrated
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It was the first play of the game. A trip to the Sweet 16 was on the line.

The Spartans had just won the tip and point guard A.J. Hoggard was bringing the ball up the court. Before seven seconds had elapsed, and before MSU could even get its first play set up, Marquette’s Stevie Mitchell had swiped the ball from Hoggard and was racing the other way for the opening points of the game.

Marquette 2, Michigan State 0.

19:48 to go in the first half.

Definitely not the start that MSU head coach Tom Izzo had drawn up.

For some teams, things would have spiraled. One bad scenario would have multiplied out and things would have went downhill quickly. In fact, we’ve seen it this year with this team.

But these are a different set of Spartans than the ones we saw earlier this year.

After the game, I had the opportunity to ask Hoggard what was going through his mind when he lost that ball and watched as the other team scored the first points of the game on a breakaway, thanks to his ball-handling error.

“I knew what I was in for tonight,” Hoggard said after the game, sitting in front of his locker. “That was a wake-up call. It woke me up really early, probably five seconds into the game.”

The crowd hadn’t even had a chance to sit down before the stingy Marquette defense claimed its first steal and score. Hoggard’s teammates didn’t even realize what happened.

“My team didn’t even know I turned the ball over, they were setting up for the play,” Hoggard said. “I had to figure out a way to respond. I think I did a good job responding.”

That is an understatement.

The next time down the court, Hoggard found center Mady Sissoko for a dunk to tie the game at two points apiece. After an empty Marquette possession, Hoggard got his first basket of the game to give MSU the early lead. Another missed shot for Marquette and another assist from Hoggard – this time to guard Tyson Walker – and the Spartans were up 6-2.

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MichiganState
FOOTBALL
Scores / Schedule
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12 - 2
Overall Record
3 - 0
Conference Record
Finished
Ohio St.
62
Ohio St.
Michigan St.
69
Arrow
Michigan St.
Michigan St.
80
Arrow
Michigan St.
W. Michigan
62
W. Michigan
Michigan St.
86
Arrow
Michigan St.
Florida Atlantic
69
Florida Atlantic
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