Michigan State basketball: 3 quick thoughts from Indiana State win

Michigan State basketball needed a complete game in order to pick up a win over a pesky 11-1 Indiana State team.

I know what you’re thinking, a program like Michigan State basketball should never be celebrating an 87-75 home win over a mid-major, but this Indiana State team is not just any mid-major.

In fact, the Sycamores came into this game 11-1 overall and they had the fifth-best 3-point percentage in the country while averaging 88 points per game. They had simply been torching the nets this season and they look like a serious NCAA Tournament threat. Heck, if they make the tourney, they’re going to be a tough out.

That offense was on display early and often throughout the game on Saturday, even taking a five-point lead midway through the second half, but Michigan State responded and won comfortably.

Here are just a few thoughts of mine from this big-time Quad 1 win at home.

1. We got AJ Hoggard (the dawg) back

For a while to start the year, it looked like we might never get the 2023 NCAA Tournament version of AJ Hoggard back. That has changed recently and he looked fully back on Saturday against Indiana State.

When Michigan State needed a spark, he was the guy to provide it. He finished with 17 points and four assists and picked up a huge and-one in the second half to give the Spartans the lead. He was strong on both ends of the floor and played with some major confidence that had been missing in the first month of the year. This winning streak has brought the dawg version of Hoggard back to us.

2. Jaden Akins’ defense down the stretch was a difference-maker

There was a 10-minute stretch in the second half where it felt like Indiana State could not miss — more specifically, Isaiah Swope. And then Jaden Akins faced the difficult task of guarding the red-hot guard after he was throwing everything up and in. He locked Swope down and the Spartans went on a run which was the difference in this game.

You won’t see it in the box score, but this Akins defense was arguably the reason Michigan State was able to make a run and respond to the Indiana State punch in the mouth.

3. This team got its swagger back

After beating a Quad 1 team at the Breslin Center to finish the month on a four-game winning streak following a 4-5 start to the year, it just feels like we’re back to the real Michigan State basketball team we had expected all along. We had been bamboozled for a month as the Spartans tried to figure things out, but the offense is clicking and the defense, on a normal night, plays at an elite level.

Plus, seeing Michigan State respond to a huge Indiana State run in the second half and recapture the lead before pulling away was a thing of beauty. It was art. That second-half run by the Spartans needs to be playing on repeat at my funeral. It was beautiful.

This team got its swagger back on the glass, on offense, and in crunch time. You just love to see it.