3 things Michigan State basketball must do to turn the season around

Michigan State basketball needs a win in the worst way. What can the Spartans do to turn the 2023-24 season around?

Michigan State basketball has been disappointing, to say the least. Despite national championship hopes entering the season, the Spartans are currently staring down a losing record with a tough upcoming schedule. That being said, I think the situation can be salvaged.

Here are a few things that Michigan State must take care of in order to start winning again.

1. Get A.J. Hoggard going

It was expected that senior point guard A.J. Hoggard would be a massive part of this team after averaging nearly 13 points, four rebounds, and six assists in 2022-23.

So far, that just hasn’t materialized.

Despite the flashes of legitimate All-American potential fans have periodically seen from the guard, Hoggard seems unable to put it together consistently. Predictably enough, this is doing MSU very few favors. Going into the season, the team was counting on him for a lot of production, and without that, it’s no wonder that the team as a whole is struggling. The Spartans are unquestionably at their best when Hoggard is playing well. When he’s on, he presents a physical presence, an elite defender, and a high-level distributor. So far this year, he’s been none of those things.

For the Spartans to have any chance of resurrecting their title hopes, the senior guard needs to find himself again. We all know he’s capable — we’ve all seen what he can do before. It’s just a matter of whether he can make it happen or not. Let’s hope he can because the team’s championship hopes depend heavily on it.

2. Establish an identity in the frontcourt

Despite the aforementioned issues with guard play, I’d argue that the Spartans have faced even bigger issues down low.

All year, the center position has lacked a reliable starter. Both Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper have seen playing time at the spot, neither with much success. Making matters worse, heralded freshman Xavier Booker — who was previously expected to play significant minutes in the post — has been a non-factor. Whether it’s the inability to secure rebounds, invisibility on offense, or giving up easy points on defense, any player that Izzo has put on the floor has looked out of their depth.

Given the talent present elsewhere, Michigan State doesn’t need an elite center to succeed. They do need a serviceable one, though. And until either Cooper, Booker, or Sissoko step up, that’s something the team will lack. Once the Spartans find a guy that they can trust to consistently cover the basics, the rest of the team will benefit massively. It’s another crucial step for the team’s success as a whole.

3. Figure out the shooting

Regardless of the player, shooting has been an issue for Michigan State basketball this season. The team is collectively shooting 29.5% from 3-point range — good for 302nd in the nation.

Yes, that is as bad as it sounds.

The Spartans lost Joey Hauser over the offseason, and the remaining shooters haven’t stepped up. The result has been about what you’d expect — a lot of poor shooting performances, resulting in losses. If the Spartans cannot figure out how to hit from beyond the arc at a reasonable clip, their problems won’t go away anytime soon. Any team serious about winning games must be able to make shots, and currently, MSU can’t.

That being said, this is a very fixable issue.

If guys like Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman start hitting at a consistent clip — like they’ve shown they can in the past — the team will start winning more. Hopefully, the squad can find its groove soon.