Spartans end 3-game skid in emotional night at the Breslin
Happy Thursday TOC. Last night was Senior Night for a handful of the MSU basketball team, and it was clear early on that there was some nervous energy in this team. In the end, the Spartans did just enough to get an elusive win over the Northwestern Wildcats. The win ends a three-game losing streak in Big Ten play and also a three-game skid against NW, not to mention losing four of the last five against them dating back to the 2020-21 season (AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko’s freshman year).
I am going to kick out an article later today or tomorrow with more in-person coverage from Senior Night at the Breslin (I was there and it is always a special thing to be a part of), but for now, let me kick this out for you quickly so you all can discuss the game here.
3 Things I Liked:
- Malik Hall on the glass. In his final home game, Malik Hall put up a career-performance in collecting 17 rebounds. His previous high was 13 in a game at Rutgers last season. It was his fourth game this season getting double-digit boards and sixth of his career. He had seven on the offensive end and another ten on defense against the Wildcats. Overall, the Spartans excelled on the offensive glass, ending with 19 (Izzo said after the game that that was a season high so I am not fact-checking that). Back to Hall, his stat line also included fifteen points, and a couple of assists and blocks, one of which was a highlight-reel rejection on a baseline-driving Luke Hunger where he came from out of nowhere and spiked that ball backwards.
- Defense. Any time you hold your opponent under 50, you have done something well. In this contest, an active Spartan defense held Northwestern to just 35.3% from the field, and just 33.3% on their three-point shots. Also, there were four blocks and an additional six steals which contributed to twelve Wildcat turnovers. For the most part, the Spartans were disciplined. There were maybe only three or four instances where Northwestern, generally a good three-point shooting team, was able to get an open look from deep, and fortunately for the home team, they were struggling from beyond the arc in this one, finishing 7-21. Also, the Spartans did a good job avoiding fouls. There were just a few times where a careless foul was committed. For the game, they only committed 14 fouls and gave up only ten FTAs to NW. On a night when the offense was not clicking, to put it nicely, the defense stepped up and earned the victory for us.
- The Izzone. I need to give props to the student section to complete this list, although that also has to do with the fact that I struggled to find a third like from the team’s performance. But let it be known that the Izzone was alive and active in this one, and they absolutely contributed to this victory. Just before the under-16 timeout of the second half, right after MSU used a 9-2 burst out of the locker room to erase a five-point halftime deficit, Boo Buie, perennial thorn-in-Spartans’-butts, launched a deeeeeep triple that came up short of everything and landed out of bounds to send the game to its commercial break. Immediately, the Izzone erupted into a chant of “Airball! Airball!”. I am not exaggerating when I say that it continued all the way through the break (I have no idea how Chris Collins was able to communicate with his team during that timeout), it continued through the ensuing MSU possession (in which AJ Hoggard was fouled and then Tre Holloman scored after play resumed), and only stopped on the next possession when Northwestern finally scored a bucket. And it was LOUD! I was in the press section and was seated next to a NW journalist. He even had to smile at the spectacle and busted out his phone to record the atmosphere. Pretty much from then on, anytime Buie had the ball in his hand, the “Airball!” chant resumed. Buie only took one more triple in the game after that, which he missed, and only scored six second-half points on eight shots. I think the crowd may have gotten to him. I hope the seniors in the crowd last night cherish that memory.
3 Things I Disliked:
- Poor shooting. Above I credited the excellent performance on the offensive glass. Well, a big portion of that was the poor shooting and the opportunity to collect the rebounds. MSU finished the game shooting 19-60 for 31.7%, which was worse than NW’s percentage. Even worse, they were 2-17 (11.8%) from three; Tre Holloman was the only Spartan to connect from long-range. And even the FTs were below the team’s season average, going 13-20 there, a 65% success rate, but at least that part of their game was better than the Wildcats’. Just before that airball by Buie, there was this wild sequence: Walker stole the ball from Buie, drives and misses a layp; Walker gets the rebound, kicks it out to Akins, and Akins misses a three; Malik Hall gets the rebound, passes it to Hoggard, Hoggard gets fouled shooting it; Hoggard makes the first FT but misses the second; Hall gets the rebound and misses a dunk; Akins gets the rebound, passes it to Hoggard, Hoggard loses the ball. So, in summary, MSU held the ball for 38 seconds, took three FGAs, plus two FTAs, got four offensive rebounds, and had one point to show for it. I wonder if this is the first possession in the history of basketball to feature a missed layup, dunk, triple, and FT.
- Jaden Akins disappearing act. When Akins came back to MSU this past offseason after testing the NBA Draft, I assumed this would be his last year in East Lansing. He would work on the things he was told by the NBA people, progress his game enough that he would be ready to turn pro, and then he would leave after his junior year. But that no longer feels like a foregone conclusion at this point. Last night, Akins was as close to being a non-factor as can be. He did not record a single point, missing all seven of his shots, four from downtown, and his only positive contributions were his singular rebound and block. But he had one foul and one turnover to negate those. This was the fourth time in the last five games that Akins has not made it to ten points; seven is his high in those games other than the 13-point “eruption” against Purdue. He is obviously having some problem with his shot. I can’t diagnose the issue, but someone needs to fix it. Also, he really needs to learn when to attack the basket on the fast break and when to slow it down. In the opening minutes, he drove into a double-team on the break and predictably had his shot blocked. A few minutes later, he had it again on a break and decided to pull up so the team could set up the half-court offense. I thought he had a much clearer path to attack the basket on that opportunity.
- No Curtain Calls for the seniors. Due to the game coming down to the wire, we did not get to see one of MSU’s most revered traditions. The seniors did not get to kiss center court and get subbed out for the last time, as has happened in most seasons past. Steven Izzo and Davis Smith did not get any game time in their final home games. Hoggard and Sissoko, not to mention super seniors Walker and Hall, did not get that chance to have that memory of kissing the logo and receiving that last round of applause from the Spartan faithful. It was something I know I was looking forward to as I drove to E.L. yesterday afternoon. Next year’s team only has Akins as a senior (barring any transfers or Hoggard or Sissoko taking a fifth year) so it will not be as big of a production then.
But a win is a win. The Spartans conclude the regular season on Sunday afternoon at Indiana.
VICTORY FOR MSU!!!