Michigan State Basketball: The good, great, bad, and ugly from Senior Night win

Michigan State basketball came away with an important, but ugly win on Senior Night, 53-49. Here’s the good, great, bad, and ugly.

This season has been nothing short of a roller-coaster for Michigan State basketball. At different times, this team had the looks of a Final Four contender, and at other times, they were NIT bound. Wednesday night, some might say that MSU was in a must-win situation, and while it wasn’t pretty whatsoever, they got it done.

After having just nine points with six minutes remaining in the first half, and only finishing with 20 points in the first half, the Spartans did what they needed to do to get another senior night win, 53-49, over Northwestern.

Let’s take a look at the good, great, bad, and ugly from the win that may have propelled MSU to Tom Izzo’s 26th straight NCAA Tournament.  

Good: Tre Holloman

Tre Holloman has had one of the better development years that I have seen at MSU. Coming out of high school, he was previously Mr. Basketball in Minnesota, but rightfully so had to wait his turn once getting to campus. This year, still not being handed the reins due to AJ Hoggard still being a senior, Holloman has done everything he can in the time he has been allotted. His 3-point shooting has increased from last year from 21 percent, to a team-high 41 percent. He’s averaging almost six points and three assists per game, and is now being trusted to get it done when the pressure is on. 

On Wednesday night, his hard work and performance paid off as he found himself on the court in crunch time.

Michigan State went 2-for-17 from beyond the arc, and Holloman hit both. His production, coupled with Jaden Akins’ terrible game, gave Izzo the trust to go with the sophomore as the clock was winding down. Holloman hit huge free throws down the stretch, and sealed the win for MSU. Now that senior night has come and gone, this is Holloman’s team moving forward. 

Great: Seniors Malik Hall and Tyson Walker

None of the Spartans, or Wildcats for that matter, played well in the first half. You can’t be three-fourths of the way through the first half with nine points and call it a success. After halftime, however, Michigan State was picked up by their senior leaders Malik Hall and Tyson Walker. Both players have battled through different circumstances this year. Malik had been criticized for his propensity to disappear when he’s needed. Tyson began to fade as the season drew on, likely because of how much he was leaned upon throughout the first half of the year. Both players put this season behind them, and got it done in the second half for Michigan State basketball. 

Hall opened the second half firing, hitting on three straight jumpers and gave MSU the lead. His offense was buzzing, finishing with 15 points, but he was getting it done all over the court against Northwestern. Hall would finish the game with a career high 17 rebounds, which easily paced both teams in that category. 

Tyson Walker did Tyson Walker things down the stretch. His ability to get into the lane and finish at the rim with an away, underhand, high off the glass finger roll is such a signature, unstoppable move. As time was winding down, the Spartans cleared out, and Walker drove to the basket three times in a row, coming away with baskets on two of the three. The seniors took over Wednesday night, and while Malik didn’t kiss the court because he did last year, Tyson rightfully got his moment for one of the best traditions in college basketball. 

Bad: Bench production

This category should be bench production minus Tre Holloman. We’ve already gone into how great Tre looked and how Izzo trusted the sophomore down the stretch. Tre’s fellow bench players, however, were horrendous. As a group, they finished the night with zero points, zero steals, zero assists, one block, and seven rebounds. The amount of pressure that’s put on your starters when the bench is unable to produce even a single point, outside of Holloman, is egregious. As we get into March, the games are going to get tougher, the stakes will be higher, and the bench will need to step up. Carson Cooper, Xavier Booker, Jaxon Kohler, and Coen Carr need to, as a group, add at least contribute double digit points.

Luckily for MSU, Northwestern essentially had four players play the entire game, meaning their bench was non-existent as well. 

Ugly: Combination of Jaden Akins and AJ Hoggard

While not a senior, there are many who think this likely was Akins’ final game at the Breslin, too. He was extremely close to forgoing his final years of eligibility last season and trying his luck in the NBA draft. He ultimately decided to return to East Lansing, but who’s to say he doesn’t pull out this upcoming offseason. If that is the case, he would have left the MSU fans with an absolute stinker. Akins finished the night with 24 minutes, and just one rebound and one block to show for it. For one of the best shooters in the Big Ten, not registering a point is terrible. Akins was 0-for-7 from the field, 0-for-4 from three, and was ultimately replaced by Holloman down the stretch.

Now, players have off nights. It happens. For a guy who averages over 10 points and over 37 percent 3-point shooting, you have to think this is an abnormality.

Hoggard has been one of the most frustrating players in the Tom Izzo era. He has always had an issue with body language, but Spartan fans have seen what his ceiling can be. He’s a senior leader who can go out when it matters, and get you a bucket. He can, and has, willed this team to victories before. Just look at last year’s March run. Wednesday night, however, has been more of the same from the point guard this month. Hoggard finished with six points and four assists. He did add three steals, which is big, but it took almost a full half of basketball for the senior to wake up even a little. Hoggard has to be better and show more urgency if Michigan State basketball is to do anything over the next few weeks. 

Both of these guys know what it takes to win in March. Their performances on Wednesday (and Hoggard’s for the past month) are unacceptable. As Izzo himself once said, “It’s one-and-done time. The ‘my bads’ are out the window.”