Michigan State basketball scores season-high points in the paint vs. Minnesota

Michigan State basketball recorded its season-high points in the paint against Minnesota on Thursday afternoon.

Michigan State basketball rode a strong second half to defeat a hometown Minnesota team in the Big Ten Tournament. It all but secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament for a 26th straight season. Their seed will certainly land short of where fans expected, likely somewhere in the 8-10 range. But they showed me something on Thursday that was encouraging: a willingness to score in the paint, and an improved efficiency in converting shots at the rim.

MSU went 21-for-30 (70 percent) in close twos, which was good for a season-high 42 points. For a team with some questions on the interior, I was delighted with what I saw.

Frontcourt finally wakes up

Michigan State’s frontcourt contributed 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting inside. And it came from a variety of different contributors.

After a slow start, Xavier Booker immediately made his presence felt with two dunks and a level of intensity we have not frequently seen from him earlier this season. Also of note were the seven points from Jaxon Kohler, who displayed the footwork, finesse, and polished offense that many had come to expect from him. Malik Hall was quiet in the first half but took matters into his own hands in the second when MSU was trying to put the game away.

We certainly could always use more from the center, but after some of the outings Michigan State basketball has seen this season, that effort can get the job done.

Guards playing with high efficiency

Even more encouraging than the bigs was the 50 points from the backcourt. Tyson Walker was a respectable 4-for-7, with the typical late-in-the-shot clock creativity and acrobatics we know and love.

But the shining star was AJ Hoggard, who converted a perfect 5-for-5 at the rim. He has often struggled with missed layups this season (57.4%). However, he has the frame and ball-handling to get to the basket at will. Hoggard is also the best free throw shooter on the team (79.6%). That means he needs to be drawing as many fouls as he can. The game changes when he is locked into that aggressive mindset for 30-plus minutes.

In games where MSU has scored 28 or more points at the rim, it’s 12-2. The first loss was the season opener against JMU, where the Spartans went 18-for-33 (54.5%). The other was against Arizona, a high-level opponent where MSU was right in the mix until the end.

A return to form in the paint

On the season, MSU is averaging 12.2 “close two” field goals per game. In 10 out of the last 15 seasons, that number has been greater than 12.0 for MSU.  In the three seasons before 2023-24, MSU scored 10.2, 10.7, and 9.2 close twos per game, respectively. And most MSU fans would argue those teams have been some of the most difficult to watch. The other two sub-12.0 close two seasons were 2014-15 and 2010-11, two teams that were puzzling by Izzo’s usual standards. One went to the Final Four despite having very little inside threat. And the other dealt with a plethora of chemistry issues.

In summary

This year’s Michigan State basketball team has been excruciating for stretches. But the fact that they can score in the paint gives them an edge when the tournament rolls around. If refs are calling a lot of fouls, getting to the line at a higher clip allows you to nab a few extra points at the line. That makes all the difference in a tightly contested game in March. But it isn’t just about getting fouls called, MSU needs to hit the gimme baskets. There are a handful of one or two-possession games in which MSU missed several bunnies and wide-open layups. We could be looking at a team with four or five more wins if a few of those had bounced differently.

So, to see a combined 70 percent efficiency from the frontcourt and backcourt was certainly a breath of fresh air. There are still plenty of warts on this team, make no mistake about it. But in a need-to-have-it game, Michigan State didn’t settle for mid-range shots. It out-toughed its way to a solid win in the month of March.