The triple was Henry’s second of the game, with Saturday marking the first time all season that he knocked down two in the same game. The 6-foot-6 freshman scored six points, and also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.

“I saw him doing the things that we’ve been saying he should be doing,” Izzo said. “That’s one thing he’s very good at.”

While the three-point shooting has been a struggle all season, with Henry coming in shooting 33 percent, he made his only two attempts Saturday.

“It’s coming around, and it’s gonna keep coming around,” Henry said. “Just to hit the open shots today, I just took my time and hit them.”

If Henry does continue to shoot the ball like he did Saturday, senior guard Matt McQuaid thinks it could open up the entire offense.

“It’s big,” McQuaid said. “Teams play off of him sometimes, and I feel like they shouldn’t be doing that. Because (Henry) is a good shooter. If they want to keep doing that, go ahead.”

Henry’s 11 boards, along with senior forward Kenny Goins’ 12, helped the Spartans out-rebound Wisconsin 44-30.

“Knowing who Michigan State is, it’s something I have to do,” Henry said. “With my athleticism, I feel like it’s something I can do at a high rate. Making sure I’m always on the boards is huge for us and huge for our team.”

Henry has stepped up with junior guard Joshua Langford out for the season with a stress injury in his left foot, and with redshirt junior forward Kyle Ahrens in and out of the lineup with persistent back problems.

“He started from a guy who was confident in his abilities, lost his confidence, and then he just got it back,” sophomore forward Xavier Tillman said. “I’m really happy for him, because that’s tough, especially on a freshman to get thrown into the fire like that.”

Henry said that with the amount of responsibility he’s been given this season, he feels a lot older than he is.

“Technically, I’m still a freshman, but if you’re asking me, nah,” Henry said. “I’ve been starting on a high-ranked team for a long time.”

Izzo noted that he expected Henry to play 15 or fewer minutes this season, but with the injuries, Izzo has been forced to play him a lot more. Since Henry was inserted into the starting lineup Jan. 13 at Penn State, the freshman has averaged 24 minutes per game, including five 30-minute performances.

“Aaron Henry is getting better every game,” Izzo said. “He’s stepped in, and you look at what he’s done, it’s been incredible. Just don’t tell him I said that.”