Michigan State Basketball: Good, great, bad, and ugly from win over Michigan

Michigan State basketball got a much-needed win over rival Michigan, 81-62. Let’s dive into the good, great, bad, and ugly from the win.

Neither Michigan nor Michigan State basketball have been good this season. While Michigan was expected to take a step back, Michigan State had high expectations. After dropping a few too many to start the season, Michigan State desperately needed a win over Michigan on Tuesday night, and while it was rocky at first, the Spartans would end up taking it to the Wolverines.

Michigan State’s offense was limited and extremely stagnant in the first half, and the Spartans found themselves down by almost 10. The second half was an entirely different story as MSU opened up the game by way of a 16-1 run, and never looked back.

Jaden Akins and A.J Hoggard were terrific down the stretch, and MSU came away with an 81-62 win and win No. 700 for Tom Izzo. 

Let’s dive into the good, great, bad, and ugly from Michigan State’s win on Tuesday over Michigan. 

Good: Transition offense in the second half

Michigan State’s offense in the first half on Tuesday seemed out of sorts too often. Michigan sports an impressive offense, ranking fourth in the Big Ten. But the Wolverines’ defense is nothing impressive, so to see MSU’s scoring come at a premium in the first half was a surprise. This season, the Spartans have struggled with their half-court offense at times, and that was very much the case in the first half on Tuesday. It didn’t help that Michigan could not miss from the field to start the game — more on that in a little bit — but Michigan State was able to remedy their offensive woes in the second half. 

Immediately into the second half, Michigan State began to play their game and speed. They grabbed any defensive rebound they could, and pushed the ball. If the half court offense isn’t effective, you have to utilize the transition game. And that’s exactly what MSU began to do. They began to apply pressure, get rebounds and steals, and turn up the notch in the transition game. As soon as they began to do so, jumpers began to open up for guys like Jaden Akins who had an incredible seven 3-pointers on the night.

They would finish the game with 20 points off turnovers, 18 fast-break points, and 48 points in the paint. After only scoring 33 points in the first half, MSU would finish with 48 in the second, and come away feeling great offensively. 

Great: Spartan legacies

Tom Izzo was the big story on Tuesday night, as the Hall of Fame coach captured win No. 700 with the Spartans. Not that Izzo needed any more proof to prove his rank amongst the best. Still, Izzo made history once again. The list of coaches who have more wins under their belt than Izzo is extremely small, and the milestone was rightfully celebrated.

It was even sweeter that the win came at home, against MSU’s rivals, and at a time when Michigan State desperately needs to make a run. Tom Izzo further cemented his status as one of the best college basketball coaches in the history of the game on Tuesday night. 

Not to be outshined by his coach, AJ Hoggard also found himself added to an elite list in the win against Michigan. While watching the game, you might have found yourself wondering why Hoggard was still in the game and actively trying to score. The game was in hand and with very little time to go. AJ was able to score in the final minutes, and join the 1,000-point club that Tyson Walker and Malik Hall joined earlier this year. A list that’s still just in the 60s, Hoggard is now added to a number of Spartan legends who came before him. While this clearly isn’t of the level of importance as Izzo’s 700th win, it is absolutely an impressive feat itself. Both Izzo and Hoggard added to their ever impressive resumes on Tuesday night. 

Bad: First-half defense

The first half of Tuesday night’s game saw Michigan essentially perfect from the field. Olivier Nkamhoua, Terrance Williams, Jaelin Llewellyn, and even Terris Reed seemed as though they could not miss, no matter the location or difficulty of the shot. Nkamhoua was getting to his spot with ease, and Llewellyn was lights out from deep.

The Wolverines, as a team, shot 60 perccent from the field, and an even more impressive 55 percent from deep. You can say that Michigan simply caught fire. Or the Spartans played poor defense, but I think both were true, and one led to fuel the other.

Because Michigan was connecting on possession after possession, Michigan State basketball was unable to get out in transition and really push the ball. That’s where this team excels, and thanks to poor defense, they were extremely stagnant in the first half. 

Ugly: Final-possession set plays

Michigan State has found itself with the final possession in both halves — and games — multiple times this season. Last year, their final sets were fantastic. Just look at the great play call to send the game against Kentucky to overtime. This season, however, it seems that creativity hasn’t carried over. Michigan State seems to have the same game plan when holding for the final shot. Get Tyson Walker isolated, and let him work.

While Tyson is absolutely the one you want in this situation, he continually has the same issue as last night. After attempting to shake his defender loose, Walker either has to throw up an off-balanced shot, or pass away with just seconds left on the clock. Defenses are aware that MSU wants Walker with the ball. They’re going to do everything they can to get their best wing defender on the senior playmaker. I’d rather the Spartan staff draw up some movement that springs Walker open, rather than having him dribble himself free, likely against the opponent’s best defender.