Michigan State nets crucial 77-67 victory over Minnesota at Big Ten Tournament; NCAA hopes look good

Never has the most important game of a Michigan State basketball season been its opening game of the Big Ten Tournament, but that felt like the case on Thursday, and the Spartans dug down for a willful 77-67 victory over Minnesota at the Target Center in Minneapolis. 

The backcourt of AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins – with help off the bench from Tre Holloman – eventually showed up at a high level in leading the Spartans to a crucial victory for their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Michigan State’s offense, which has been maddeningly inconsistent during a trying season in which the Spartans have had trouble protecting second half leads, came through with high efficiency in this game.

Michigan State hit seven of its last eight field goal attempts over the last 3:56, including a tip-in by Jaxon Kohler, in turning a tight, 65-59 lead into a double-digit victory.

Walker had three of those late field goals with crafty trademark drives to the rim, and Hoggard two, including a muscular drive which gave Michigan State a 75-64 lead with 1:08 left.

Seconds later, Walker produced his second steal of the game and sent it ahead to Hoggard for a lay-up and a 77-64 lead with :59 seconds left.

Kohler’s tip-in came off a Walker drive, which sucked defense toward him, and helped suck the final air out of the Gophers.

“There is nothing, NOTHING!, better than working,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. “We made some mistakes, but we made some good comebacks and now we get to work all night and it’s going to be worth every ounce of it. So I’m just excited to go back to work.”

WHAT IT MEANS

Michigan State improves to 19-13 overall. Coming into the game ranked No. 23 in the NET, this victory almost certainly locks the Spartans into the NCAA Tournament for a 26th straight year. No team ranked inside the Top 30 in the NET has ever failed to get an NCAA Tournament bid.

Izzo’s eyes glazed over with emotion after the game, unquestionably realizing that his streak of 25 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament – the longest by any coach in the game’s history – will get extended. 

Michigan State came into the game projected as a No. 10 seed by Big Ten Network bracketologist Mike DeCourcy. Now, the Spartans will face No. 3-ranked Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals at noon on Friday. 

An upset of the Boilermakers and Michigan State will likely advance to a No. 8 or 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

It’s great for Michigan State that the Spartans are in the tournament, but the chances of making it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament would be greater as a No. 10 seed than as a No. 8 or 9 seed. If Michigan State is a No. 8 or 9 seed, the Spartans would likely face Houston, UConn or North Carolina in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. With a No. 10 seed, Michigan State would have a slightly tougher First Round opponent, but could get a weaker Second Round opponent such as Iowa State.

But that’s for next week’s concerns. For now, the Spartans are ecstatic and relieved to win a rock fight against Minnesota and to be alive in the Big Ten Tournament, and headed to The Big Dance.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Hoggard led the Spartans with 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting. He was 1-of-1 from 3-point range.

Walker scored 15 points. He and Hoggard carried the Spartans in the final six minutes with razor sharp shooting and finishing.

“I think we’re so much better than we’re playing,” Izzo said. “We did a much better job in the second half, but we still make some mistakes that I don’t think a veteran team should or a veteran coach. So I’m being critical of myself.

“I thought Ty was passing up shots. I told him, finally, ‘Shoot the ball.’ I get accused of a lot of things, but I tell my guys to shoot the ball. They have to shoot the ball.”

Akins scored 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting and had a team-high seven rebounds.

Malik Hall battled severe foul trouble but came through with big buckets midway through the second half. He finished with 9 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Holloman, back in his home town of Minneapolis, scored 9 points off the bench on 3-of-3 shooting and had two steals.

INTERIOR PLAYER ROTATION CHANGES

With Hall in foul trouble, freshman Xavier Booker played 15 minutes, all of it at the power forward position. Booker had six points, all coming on dunks in the first half as he gave the Spartan offense a nice lift after a slow start.

Carson Cooper started at center, logging 21 minutes. He had five rebounds and scored three points. He missed three free throws in the opening minutes as the Gophers got off to a 7-0 lead. But Cooper’s defense was solid for most of the game against an explosive Gopher front court.

Kohler finished the game at center, as he did last week in a crucial victory over Northwestern. He had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting and played 20 minutes as the Spartans’ interior rotation was more solvent than it has been most of the season. Senior Mady Sissoko played only one minute, a season low.

Kohler had a big defensive play during a key Michigan State run. It was subtle, but he cut off an Elijah Hawkins’ drive off a side ball screen. Kohler cut him off at the baseline. Coverage was good on the weak side. 

Kohler cut him off and then quickly retreated to the paint where he put a body on Payne for the box out. Garcia missed a 3-pointer. Akins with a spirited defensive board.

Kohler being able to move his feet and play ball screen defense is the important ingredient in earning trustworthy playing time. The team has fewer flaws when he is able to do that. Then he can stay on the court, provide a little bit of offense and the center position is suddenly not an offensive doughnut. Kohler had a similar defensive moment against Northwestern last week, showing important growth for the Spartans at the center position.

After that Akins rebound, Hall finished a drive to give Michigan State a 59-51 lead, capping a 15-2 run.

THE REST OF IT

Michigan State shot 55.6 percent from the field and was 62.1 percent from the field in the second half, bouncing back from a 7-0 deficit to start the game. 

Dawson Garcia led Minnesota with 19 points. The Gophers had five players in double figures and shot 50 percent from the floor but couldn’t hold off a determined Spartan team. 

Minnesota was 11-of-19 from the foul line. Michigan State needed every miss. The Spartans weren’t much better, at 12-of-19 from the stripe.

But Michigan State took good care of the ball with nine turnovers and had a 19-6 edge in fastbreak points. 

Michigan State out-rebounded Minnesota 20-23.

HOW IT WENT DOWN 

There were 11 lead changes and Michigan State led for only 15:43 of the game. Minnesota forged leads of 7-0 and 21-14, but the Spartans continuously answered Gopher charges.

Minnesota led 38-34 just :51 seconds into the second half when Hall was called for his third foul. He had played only seven minutes in the first half and then suddenly was lost to the bench again, with the game and season teetering.

Michigan State trailed 43-41 with 14:28 when Hall re-entered the game.

Hall delivered an impact moment with a spinning drive for an and-one against Dawson Garcia, cutting the lead to 50-49 with 11:51 remaining.

But Hall missed a pair of free throws with 10:14 left and Michigan State trailing 52-51, causing Izzo to fold his hands behind his kneck and look to the heavens. But the offensive bleeding soon stopped, thanks to the Spartan backcourt.

In a spirited first half of see-saw runs, the Gophers began the game with a 7-0 run, and also had runs of 11-0 and 4-0. The Spartans had runs of 14-3, 6-0 and 4-0.

All of those runs came in succession, giving the Gophers a 25-24 lead with 4:23 left in the first half.  

Minnesota had success with ball screens in the first half, drawing a help defender and then finding the open man either at the rim or on kickouts. But Michigan State eventually gained a defensive handle on those actions. 

And then the Spartan backcourt took over, as it was expected to do all season. Hoggard, Akins and Holloman going 13-of-15 from the field was huge for the Spartans while waiting for Walker to finally come alive in the second half.