Michigan State got its first Big Ten win Saturday, but don’t expect a parade.
After all, when that victory comes against a Nebraska team that is one of two winless teams in the conference and one that managed just two Big Ten wins a year ago, it’s best to take the win and move on to what’s next.
And what’s next in the Big Ten usually means a much stiffer test. That’s certainly the case for No. 23 Michigan State as it gets set to host No. 15 Rutgers on Tuesday night at Breslin Center.
“This will be our (fourth) ranked team that we played and so we've got to keep everything in perspective a little bit,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “It’s only our second home game of five and I'm not sure home or away is as much of an advantage as it used to be, but it’s still is different. … So, to get them in here and get the chance to really see where we're at, I think it is important.”
Obviously, there aren’t many easy nights in the Big Ten, and ending a three-game skid was critical during last weekend’s trip to Nebraska.
Things were far from perfect as Rocket Watts and Joey Hauser were not significant factors, however, Aaron Henry had a career game and freshman A.J. Hoggard got his first start at point guard and provided plenty of optimism at that position moving forward for the Spartans (7-3, 1-3 Big Ten).
More: Undefeated UM rises to No. 10 in latest AP poll; MSU drops to No. 23
“Any time you’re on a losing streak you’re just happy to win a game,” Izzo said. “Sometimes you need to find a way to win and I thought there was some things we did in that game that were very, very good.”
Hoggard’s development was a critical step for Michigan State as Watts had been struggling with his transition from shooting guard — a spot he excelled at as a freshman last season – to point guard. The freshman guard, who battled a knee injury in preseason practice was efficient in his 23 minutes, scoring five points and handing out five assists while committing just one turnover.
But it was the smoothness with which he played and the positive effect it had on the whole team that was the most promising, and it showed the confidence Hoggard has in himself.
Rutgers visits Michigan State on Tuesday. The Detroit News
“When your teammates feel comfortable in you, you have no choice but to feel comfortable in yourself,” Hoggard said. “The guys were kind of giving me words of encouragement and helping me get ready to prepare for playing those minutes.”
Of course, one game against Nebraska doesn’t mean Hoggard has arrived, and Izzo was sure to keep pushing him in practice to see how Hoggard will handle some of the attention.
“We’re gonna find out,” Izzo said. “In today's practice I made sure he knows that he's still a freshman that doesn't know anything, but I think that's all part of the process. And the great part is he wasn't a McDonald's (All-American) coming in, so he hasn't been over pampered. His dad is a guy that is pretty hard on him, so I think if he keeps his humility and keeps working — I mean, it's not like he was Cassius Winston out there — but at the same time, I think he ran our team. I think he can make some plays on the break that come natural to him, and that's kind of what we're looking for.”
More: Aaron Henry leads the way as Michigan State beats Nebraska
What Izzo is hoping it all ultimately leads to is getting the most from a handful of players.
Henry was at his best, scoring a career-high 27 points, while senior guard Joshua Langford also played well. Izzo’s task now is to get Watts comfortable coming off the bench and being the high-level scorer and defender he was late last season while getting Joey Hauser to regain his scoring touch after a couple of off games.
“If we can get those two guys going both on the offensive and defensive end, I think our team improves a lot,” Izzo said. “Good teams have usually got two or three guys that are really playing well and they’ve got two or three guys that fit their roles. That’s what I'm trying to do with ours.”
Rutgers visits Michigan State on Tuesday. The Detroit News
Doing it and executing it are two different things, of course, and getting it done against a team like Rutgers (7-2, 3-2) will be no simple task.
Michigan State has never lost to Rutgers in 10 meetings — nine have come with the Scarlet Knights as members of the Big Ten — but that means very little now. Rutgers is an experienced team now under coach Steve Pikiell that has some depth, led by junior guard Ron Harper, who is averaging 22.1 points a game.
“They’ve now got experience and experience that has taken its lumps,” Izzo said of the team that likely would have made the NCAA Tournament last season. “I think that's always a critical part, at least that's the way it was for us (at Michigan State), because guys know what it's like to go through the grind and fail. And this day and age it's hard to let anybody fail, but they failed early and they just kept getting better and that's a great credit to Steve and his team.”
No. 15 Rutgers at No. 23 Michigan State
Tip-off: 9 Tuesday, Breslin Center, East Lansing
TV/radio: BTN/760
Records: Rutgers 7-2, 3-2; Michigan State 7-3, 1-3
Outlook: Michigan State has never lost to Rutgers in 10 meetings. … Four starters are scoring in double-figures for Rutgers, led by junior guard Ron Harper Jr., who is fourth in the Big Ten at 22.1 points per game. Senior guard Jacob Young is averaging 15.7 points and 5.2 assists a game for the Scarlet Knights.
mcharboneau@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @mattcharboneau
The Link LonkJanuary 05, 2021 at 05:26AM
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state-university/2021/01/04/big-ten-skid-over-but-things-dont-exactly-get-easy-michigan-state/4126028001/
Big Ten skid is over, but things don't exactly get easy for Michigan State - The Detroit News
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