Fran McCaffery analyzes growth of Tyson Walker

As Iowa gets set to take on Michigan State, the Hawkeyes will have one very difficult task: slowing down Tyson Walker. The leading scorer for the Spartans, Tyson Walker’s growth as a player has stood out to Iowa coach Fran McCaffery.

McCaffery was quick to point out the multiple ways Walker has improved.

“He’s playing about as well as anybody I’ve seen on tape,” McCaffery said. “Great deal of confidence. Scoring the ball at a high clip. I think the development of (AJ) Hoggard has been a big part of that. I thought Hoggard was good last year, I think he’s becoming elite. There’s two different things there.”

Walker leads the Spartans in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. Hoggard figures in just below that, averaging 12.7 points per game himself. Put them together and you’ve got a pretty solid backcourt.

It’s not that Walker isn’t a stud, it’s just that his game has gone to a different level complemented by Hoggard.

“He was good, now he’s elite,” McCaffery said of Hoggard, as part of an answer about Tyson Walker’s growth. “So now Walker can play off the ball. Sometimes he has it, but he can go get buckets. He can score the ball in a number of different levels. He can get to the rim. He’s got serious pull-up game. He can make threes and he’s a late-game shot maker. So those two guys together I think have been really good for that team, but they’ve also been really good together.”

How to watch Iowa vs. Michigan State

Tip-off: 7 p.m. ET

Location: Breslin Center, East Lansing, Michigan

Channel: FS1

More on Iowa vs. Michigan State

Continuing, it should be a fantastic contest in East Lansing on Thursday, as the Hawkeyes enter the showdown 12-7 on the season, while the Spartans have amassed a 13-7 record thus far.

Iowa had been on a four-game win streak, but a postponement of their game against Northwestern messed their momentum up, and they fell to Ohio State in their last contest. As for the Spartans, they’ve lost three of their last four, and are looking to right the ship on Thursday.

Both squads are among the top the Big Ten has to offer, and will be looking to prove that once again on Thursday. However, only one can come away victorious, and it remains to be seen which program will get a huge victory.