College Basketball

Michigan State turns it on late, secures much-needed win over Minnesota

Published Mar. 14, 2024 2:38 p.m. ET

College Football and College Basketball Writer

There was a smile plastered across Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo's face during a postgame interview with Big Ten Network on Thursday as the realization of what just happened began to resonate.

His team had pulled away from Minnesota in the waning minutes during a hard-fought second-round matchup in the Big Ten Tournament. And by doing so — thus advancing to face top-seeded Purdue on Friday — the Spartans all but assured themselves of an NCAA Tournament berth, regardless of what happens over the rest of this week in Minneapolis.

Trailing by five near the midway point of the second half, Michigan State broke the game open with a well-timed scoring run that pushed Izzo's team across the line. Point guard A.J. Hoggard scored a team-high 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting and also added six assists. Shooting guard Tyson Walker contributed 15 points on a relatively inefficient afternoon for the Spartans' star.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

In the nick of time

Mired in another topsy-turvy slugfest that felt like an embodiment of its season, Michigan State was 12:56 away from enduring what would have been the most uncomfortable of Sunday evenings during the NCAA Tournament selection show. The Spartans trailed Minnesota, 49-44, in a sleepy 8-9 game in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, and for a moment it felt like the dream was finally about to crumble.

What followed was a 15-2 run that might be remembered as the stretch that saved Michigan State's season should the Spartans hear their names called this weekend. The outburst unfolded over a five-minute stretch that highlighted the best of what Izzo's team can be: a balanced and guard-driven outfit that is lethal in transition and feisty as all get-out on defense. Four different players contributed points during the run, and none of them were Tyson Walker, the team's leading scorer and a player who often shoulders too much responsibility at that end of the floor.

Instead, the surprising protagonist was sophomore guard Tre Holloman, a gritty and glue-like player who only reached double-figure scoring five times all season. His influence against the Gophers revealed itself in all facets of the game, from the two steals and one block he contributed on defense to the nine points and four assists he chipped in on offense. His back-to-back baskets during the scoring run helped Michigan State begin building what would prove to be an insurmountable lead.

Michigan State's Xavier Booker threw down a dunk, trimming into Minnesota's lead

The Michigan State Spartans trimmed into the Minnesota Golden Gophers' lead after Xavier Booker threw down an alley-oop jam.

On the bubble

A relatively uninspiring performance from the Spartans against an opponent who won't be part of the NCAA Tournament field probably won't resonate very much with the selection committee that will ultimately decide their fate. Instead, Michigan State found itself in a grinding, grating affair against a team ranked outside the top 75 in both the NCAA NET Rankings and KenPom. Thursday's game might not have been considered a bad loss, but it certainly would have been close.

At stake for Izzo is a career-defining streak of 25 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, a run that began during the 1997-98 season. He has reached eight Final Fours since then and won the second national championship in program history in 2000.

The good news for Michigan State is that its résumé remains reasonably strong in spite of an overall record that leaves plenty to be desired. Izzo's team entered Thursday's game ranked No. 19 on KenPom and No. 23 in the NCAA NET Rankings in large part because the Spartans have avoided any catastrophic losses, finishing 9-0 against Quad 3 and Quad 4 opponents. Even the season-opening defeat to James Madison has been partially forgiven because of how good the Dukes really are: They finished 31-3 overall and won the Sun Belt Tournament to punch their ticket for the Big Dance.

A 24-point win over then-No. 6 Baylor, an 88-80 win over then-No. 10 Illinois and a 53-49 win over Northwestern remain Michigan State's most impressive credentials. But the chance to face No. 3 Purdue in a quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday would trump them all if the Spartans can come away with a trajectory-changing victory, even if they might already be safe.

The right direction

With the exception of two 20-win seasons under former coach Richard Pitino — the first in 2016-17 and the second in 2018-19 — it's been a relatively bleak decade for Minnesota. Without those aforementioned campaigns, the Gophers averaged just 13.1 wins from 2014 through last year, the second under head coach Ben Johnson. They've only made five NCAA Tournament appearances this century.

An 18-win campaign should leave Minnesota fans encouraged by the general trajectory of the program. Johnson increased the Gophers' win total from just nine during the 2022-23 campaign — a year in which they finished an unsightly 2-17 in the Big Ten — to coming within a whisker of reaching 20 victories for the first time in five seasons. This year's résumé included notable conference wins over Nebraska, Northwestern and Michigan State, all of which should make the NCAA Tournament.

As for the future, Johnson scored an important commitment from four-star point guard Isaac Asuma from Iron, Minnesota, in the northern reaches of the state. Asuma is rated the No. 10 point guard and the No. 99 overall player in the 247Sports rankings for the 2024 recruiting class. He's also the 31st-best prospect to ever sign with the Gophers in the recruiting rankings era.

Given the makeup of Minnesota's roster, there's a strong chance the Gophers can make significant improvements between now and next season. None of Johnson's five leading scorers this season were seniors.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.