Michigan State basketball stock watch after Northwestern win

Michigan State basketball picked up an ugly, but needed, win over Northwestern on Wednesday night. Whose stock is on the rise?

Michigan State basketball snaps a three-game losing streak on Senior Night with a 53-49 win against Northwestern and Boo Buie.

Going into this game, this was a win that this team had to have and with a very poor first-half performance, the Spartans looked like they might drop a third straight home game and fourth in a row total. If this team wanted to make the tournament, it had to avoid that and there were a few key performances that gave Michigan State the win and a few that were very disappointing.

Let’s take a look at the post-Northwestern stock watch.

Stock Up

• Malik Hall

What a performance and year that Malik Hall has had. Against the Wildcats, he went for 15 points and 17 rebounds. He was the one senior that really seemed to be checked into the game from the very beginning and without this performance, fans are talking about potentially missing the tournament. Hall deserves all the flowers this year as he has been one of the best and most consistent players this team has had.

• Tre Holloman

Michigan State needed all the help it could get and Tre Holloman provided an offensive jolt that the team needed. Coming off the bench and playing 25 minutes, Holloman contributed 12 points with a few 3-pointers and the clutch free throws at the end. Not only was he good on offense, he was also great on defense. He was another guy who really contributed during Senior Night as he scored in double-digits for the first time since the game at Maryland.

• Izzone/Fans

Early in the game, it really seemed like the Breslin Center was going to have a light crowd. As time passed, it started to fill up and got louder. This really started on Boo Buie’s airball. The Izzone kept chanting “airball” throughout play and throughout the media timeout. This is something I have never seen done and it really engaged the crowd especially during the big moments at the end of the game. The fans also stayed after and showed support for all the seniors, which you could tell meant a lot to Izzo and the players.

Stock Down

• AJ Hoggard

On Senior Night, you would really like to see your senior point guard play well but sadly, AJ Hoggard did not. There were moments that AJ was great especially on the defensive end but this team needs more from him and it didn’t get that in this game. It’s been a little while since the Spartans have gotten a consistent Hoggard and if Michigan State basketball wants to go on a run, he has to be better.

• Jaden Akins

If you want to talk about a player who had a rough night, Jaden Akins was just that. On Wednesday, he played 24 minutes, missed all seven shot attempts and only had one rebound. Akins has really struggled with his shot lately and while he is getting good looks, he’s just not hitting them. He is a good shooter and a player that I think will be able to respond as he is to good to be missing all these open shots consistently.

This was not the performance that anyone wanted. This was a stressful performance for fans, coaches, and players against a team that’s ailing. While this was not the performance anyone wanted, Michigan State basketball did just enough to win. At this point, it is all about getting the win. Not only is it about the win, this game was about the seniors. It was a way to honor the seniors — a group that has brought many different emotions to this fan base but one that you were really touched by on Wednesday night.

Fans stayed to show support and watch the seniors kiss the Spartan logo. They watched as Malik Hall, Steven Izzo, Davis Smith, Mady Sissoko, Tyson Walker, and AJ Hoggard went out with one last win at the Breslin.