The Hoop Feed: A.J. Hoggard powers Michigan State past Wisconsin; Spartans win seventh straight

Michigan State might not have all the goods to make a run at a Big Ten title in 2023, but the Spartans played with the poise and shot-making confidence of title contender on Tuesday night during a 69-65 victory at Wisconsin.

Powered by clutch shot-making and strong defense down the stretch from junior guard A.J. Hoggard, Michigan State surged past No. 18 Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.

“It says a lot because we came in here, in a hostile environment, and beat a tough Wisconsin team, someone that we see playing deep in March,” Hoggard said. “It means a lot in the Big Ten. It’s been a gritty conference. A lot of games are close, as you saw tonight. Coming in here tonight and getting a tough win against a Top 25 team means a lot and the growth we’ve had.”

The Spartans (12-4) have won seven straight and moved into a first place tie with Purdue atop the Big Ten standings at 4-1. Wisconsin fell to 11-4 and 3-2.

Michigan State trailed 59-54 with 4:03 left, but the Spartans outscored the Badgers 15-6 the rest of the way.

“We bounced back and moved the ball well there at the end and really made some big-time plays,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.

Hoggard, who is rounding into becoming one of the best all-around point guards in the Big Ten, hit two tough field goals and a pair of free throws in a :54 second span to turn a 61-61 tie into a 67-63 lead with :28 seconds left.

“It was a good team victory,” Izzo said. “We still make our mistakes but I’m very proud.

“We’ll take the win. Boy, any time you get a win in Madison, you take the win and get the hell out of Dodge.”

The Spartans did not miss a shot in the last 9:02 of the game, going 8-for-8 from the field over the last 8:42.

Joey Hauser was 3-of-3 during that span and Hoggard was 2-for-2. Tyson Walker, Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko each hit field goals as well.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Hauser, who nailed a clutch 3-pointer with 2:15 left to bring Michigan State to within 61-59, led Michigan State with 20 points. He was 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. 

Walker scored 13 for Michigan State. He was 3-of-3 from 3-point range, with all three triples coming in the first half. 

Hoggard had 10 points and eight assists for Michigan State.

Jaden Akins scored 12 for Michigan State on 4-of-8 shooting.

Mady Sissoko, playing the second half with five stitches over his right eye after taking an elbow from Wisconsin center Steven Crowl, had 11 rebounds and six points.

Sissoko played solid defense in the last four minutes despite four fouls.

The Spartans had to overcome a 14-5 disadvantage in turnovers. The Spartans’ 33-18 edge in rebounding helped make it possible.

The Spartans were 16-of-17 from the foul line while Wisconsin was 6-of-8.

Crowl, a junior 7-footer who had been averaging 16.8 points per game in the Badgers’ last six outings, led the Badgers with 19 points.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Trailing 59-58 with 2:15 left, Izzo called for Hauser to come off a pindown screen from Sissoko along the baseline. Hauser drilled the 3-pointer to give Michigan State a 61-59 lead.

Then Hoggard took over and Michigan State led the rest of the way.

With the shot clock running down, Hoggard hit a muscular half-hook over Crowl in the lane to cut Wisconsin’s lead to 63-61 with 1:20 left.

Then, after a step-back 17-footer from Wisconsin’s Chucky Hepburn tied it at 63-63, Hoggard answered again.

This time, with :41 left, Hoggard drove vs Crowl off a high screen, stopped near the right block, looked to deliver a pass to a cutter or an inside-out option. He found no one open, so Hoggard offered a ball fake and used a strong pivot foot to step through for a glasser around Crowl to make it 65-63.

“I just said that we’ve been here before,” Hoggard said. “The core guys we’ve had have been through the ups and downs of a Big Ten season. Being able to trust our veteran guys and respond, we know what it means to continue to win and compete for a Big Ten title.”

Said Crowl: “He (Hoggard) is a tough guard because he is so big and he comes downhill and causes mismatches. He’s a tough guard for sure but I think I should have had that at the end and stopped him.”

Hoggard thanked his teammates for their belief in him.

“Their willingness to want the ball in my hand late down the stretch and trusting me to make plays, thanking them for trusting me and it all worked out,” Hoggard said.

TURNING POINT

Trailing 59-54, and the Badgers enjoying their biggest lead of the night, Malik Hall sparked the resurgence.

Playing wing guard, Hall posted up against 6-foot-3 Max Klesmit and drew a foul. Hall made both free throws to cut it to 59-56.

Then on Michigan State’s next possession, Hall went to work against Klesmit with a crossover, a spin, another spin, a pump fake and a glasser while getting fouled. Wisconsin fans wanted a travel call on Hall, who celebrated vehemently after the bucket.

Hall missed the free throw, which could have tied the game at 59-59, but MSU’s momentum was in full gear.

“We wanted to penetrate a little more and and get Joey and Malik the ball down low a little more,” Izzo said. “That play by Malik was a big-time play.”

“They went to a bigger lineup and Max got stuck on Malik Hall, which was forcing him to go into the post,” Hepburn said. “Next time we will have something different.”

The Badgers and Spartans will not play again for the remainder of the regular season.

OUTSIDE THE BOX SCORE

For the first time this year, third-string center Carson Cooper saw more playing time than second-string center Jaxon Kohler. Cooper’s foot quickness appeared to be the preferred matchup against the Badgers’ stretch big men. Cooper played six minutes in the first half and was the choice when Sissoko went down late in the first half with the cut over his eye. Kohler played four minutes in the first half and did not play in the second half. 

Cooper finished with a career-high 12 minutes.

Cooper delivered a pair of big moments midway through the second half, with Sissoko sitting due to three fouls. Wisconsin tried to post-up Cooper with Crowl. Cooper walled him off and registered a blocked shot.

On Michigan State’s ensuing possession, Cooper grabbed an offensive rebound when Jaden Akins missed a 3-pointer. Moments later, Walker hit a driving glasser to cut the lead to 50-48.

AKINS AND THE TURNOVER PROBLEM

Turnovers haven’t been an issue for Michigan State during its seven-game win streak. But a 14-5 difference in turnovers in this game almost put the Spartans in the L column despite the Spartans out-shooting the Badgers 52 percent to 45 percent and dominating the boards.

Michigan State committed three turnovers in the first half on possessions immediately after time outs, which is customarily an area of strength for Izzo’s teams.

One was on a shot clock violation when Hall didn’t seem to be aware that the clock was running down and passed up a decent 3-point opportunity in order to try to give Hauser a better one.

Later, Hauser traveled in the post, coming out of a time out.

And Walker was called for traveling when he slipped on the area of the floor where Wisconsin had enjoyed beverages during the time out.

“I didn’t think there were a lot of moving turnovers where they could get breakaways out of it, and that was critical,” Izzo said.

Akins had the most Michigan State turnovers, with four. He stepped out of bounds once, threw an interception on a three-on-two break, and traveled on an overzealous drive to the rim.

Akins was replaced by Hall on the perimeter at crunch time.

Akins played 20 minutes and was 4-of-8 from the field, and 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

The sophomore from Detroit turned on his ample horsepower with a jab-and-go swoop to the rim to give Michigan State a 46-45 lead with 10:35 to play.

“Jaden Akins bounced back,” Izzo said. “He had a couple little (shaky) things but God he is getting better every day. Last night he just shot the daylights out of it. He hit that first 3 tonight. We still have to get him more shots.”

HOW IT WENT DOWN

Wisconsin led 57-52 after a 3-pointer by stretch four Carter Gilmore on a roll-and-replace with 5:40 left. That answered a turnover when Hauser was stripped in the post. The turnover disparity was 14-5 at that point.

Wisconsin took its biggest lead of the night, to that point in the game, at 50-46 with 9:40 left, on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Conno Essegian over Jaden Akins. Akins left Essegian to hedge-help on driving guard Chucky Hepburn, but Akins was late in getting back out on the quick-releasing, relocating Essegian. 

Sissoko was whistled for his third foul with 11:37 remaining when he caught Crowl on the arm while Crowl hit a hook shot, which gave Wisconsin a 45-44 lead. Crowl missed the free throw. 

Sissoko picked up his fourth foul with 4:03 left when he bumped Essegian on a drive, after a switch. But Izzo left Sissoko in the game and he played solidly the rest of the way. 

Michigan State led 33-31 at halftime after Walker canned a 3-pointer with :30 seconds left in the first half.

THE REST OF IT

The Badgers took their first lead of the night at 22-21 with 7:19 left on an and-one by point guard Chucky Hepburn, off a stop-and-go dribble versus Hoggard.

Michigan State answered with a 5-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Walker.

But Wisconsin regained the lead when back-up post player Markus Ilver backed Hauser down into the paint and scored over him, making it 29-28 with 3:14 left in the half. 

Wisconsin took its biggest lead of the half when Wofford transfer Max Klesmit hit a short jumper in the lane over Tre Holloman, making it 31-28 with 2:40 left.