He's the floor general, the basketball version of a quarterback, and the leader - the point guard. And until recently, MSU didn't have one that could step up.

This season opened with a vacancy at the point.

And after watching junior guard Rashi Johnson struggle to adjust to head coach Tom Izzo's complicated offense and sophomore shooting guard Chris Hill get used to the same task, a definitive point guard was absent from MSU's lineup.

The vacancy left the Spartans with no point presence going into the final stretch of the season. Enter sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson, possibly MSU's most unlikely point guard in recent history.

Since taking over the key point guard responsibilities in late January, MSU averages three less turnovers per game when Anderson runs the point.

But as the Spartans luck would have it, not even Anderson is immune to the injury bug circulating MSU's squad, as he sat out three games with an open dislocation of his right pinkie finger.

But any witnesses of MSU's 76-75 loss to Syracuse on Sunday at Breslin Center saw what Anderson is capable of as a point guard.

The 6-foot-6 slasher engineered the MSU offense maybe as well as it has been orchestrated all season, dishing out six assists, scoring six points, grabbing five rebounds and turning the ball over twice.

But even more impressive Sunday was Hill, who set university and Big Ten records for 3-pointers made in a game (10) and a school record for 3-point attempts (18) on the way to a career-high 34 points.

"It did feel good to get into a rhythm," Hill said. "Point is different because you have to think about so many different things."

And when Anderson's responsibility is to push the ball upcourt and organize an offensive set, it makes Hill's job easier.

"(Not playing point guard) definitely makes a difference being a shooter of that type," Hill said. "When Alan's doing that and distributing the ball like (Sunday), I can be more of a shooter."

Anderson agreed, taking a humble approach to his efforts Sunday and his prospects of being MSU's point guard of the future.

"Whatever I can do to get wins, I'll do it," Anderson said. "If it's Chris getting 34 points, I'll do it."

In the four games Anderson was unable to start, Hill shot just five-of-23 on 3-point attempts and 13-of-42 from the field.

Sunday's insertion of Anderson into the starting lineup could have gotten Hill, and head coach Tom Izzo's perception of his team back to normal.

"Right now, this team was making, I thought, great progress until Alan went down," Izzo said. "If he can continue to improve at that position and give Chris more shots, I think we can win some games.

"And if we win some games, I think we can be tough out in the Big Ten tournament."

Izzo added that Anderson's improvement at the point is good medicine for rehabilitating his injured finger.

"Alan looked as comfortable as he's looked at that position," Izzo said. "And maybe one reason is because of the injury, he didn't have to think about shooting as much and he just focused in on running our team."

But as far as the grisly finger injury in concerned, Anderson said he's thinking less about it each game.

"It feels better everyday," Anderson said, slowly flexing his pinkie and ring fingers, favoring the stitches that run across the inside of his lower pinkie finger.

As to whether the point guard position feels better down the stretch into the Big Ten Tournament for MSU remains to be seen.