For the first time in nearly two years, Michigan State had a decisive homecourt advantage thanks to the consistent, resounding support coming from the stands. As the Spartans began to build a lead in the opening moments of the second half, the noise from the crowd kept elevating in decibels before Hoggard made the pressure reach a boiling point, going into the first media timeout.

“It was something you live for,” Hoggard, who finished with his first career double-double (11 points, 10 assists), said. “Just being a basketball player in general; it’s something you always want to be a part of. Playing this game since a young age; it’s just fun, especially being in an environment like that and being able to play in a rivalry like this. So it was just fun. Hearing them go crazy off a pass makes me excited, so it kind of got me going a little bit.”

The energy in the building reached that uncontrollable level throughout the second half, as Michigan State expanded its lead from four points at halftime to 16 points when the final buzzer sounded. After each hustle play for a loose ball that turned up in MSU’s favor, each tough rebound and monumental made baskets, the Izzone roared in excitement.

The atmosphere reached a high level again just moments after Hoggard danced in front of the crowd, this time thanks to senior forward Gabe Brown. With 13 minutes left and MSU up 13, Brown received the ball in transition after a steal from freshman guard Jaden Akins and cranked the ball above his head and slammed it home thunderously with two hands for his first points of the game, forcing a Michigan timeout. 

The crowd, which was already bubbling with anticipation, exploded. As Michigan began to wilt under the pressure and MSU blew the game open, every MSU fan from the very last row at the top of the Breslin Center to sitting courtside screamed and danced with delight. 

“I feel like anytime we made a big play,” senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. said, “The crowd was there for us, and I think it kind of messed with them a little bit. The Izzone was crazy tonight. Even the fans all the way at the top, you can see them up there going crazy. I glanced up there a couple of times, seeing them going crazy. The fans were crazy tonight and we appreciate it.”

Going into the next stoppage of play, the crowd was once again worked up into a fervor, this time thanks to a 5-0 run from redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser, who finished the game with 14 points. Hauser, who has seen his fair share of hate from MSU fans, walked into the huddle as the Izzone chanted “Joey, Joey” to praise his play. 

“It’s awesome that they keep supporting me,” Hauser said, “But my job is just to stay focused on the game during that time. So, to be honest, I didn’t really notice at the time. I know my teammates were really jacked up for me.”

It was all in a day’s effort for the Izzone members, who began to line up outside next to Breslin Center’s turnstiles before dawn. Since 6:30 a.m. this morning, Michigan State fans were lined up outside of the Breslin Center anxiously waiting for the first, and possibly only, matchup between the Spartans and Wolverines this year. 

MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo made the rounds to the freezing fans in line, braving the 10-degree weather to have first dibs on front row seats in the student section.

The Izzone quickly filled as soon as gates opened two hours before tip, frothing at the mouth, waiting to antagonize Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines. 

“The energy in here definitely was crazy,” junior forward Malik Hall, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds, said. “Shout out to all the fans; they were outside for a while, and they brought the energy. Shoot, I couldn’t do that after being outside that long, being cold. But for the most part, it definitely did feel like it was two years ago, like my freshman year.”

But for Izzo, the wait for an atmosphere in the Breslin Center was a lot longer than just a few hours in the bracing cold. Michigan State was once seen as one of the most dangerous places to play in the country thanks to its intimidating atmosphere, but that ferocity has waned in the past half-decade for a number of reasons.

The biggest reason that kept every single fan out of the building during the 2020-21 season was COVID-19. MSU, along with most other teams in the country, played in empty venues for the duration of the season to mitigate the spread of the virus. 

After having a year of empty arenas filled with cardboard cutouts and in front of sparse home crowds this year for a multitude of reasons, like COVID-19 restrictions, Izzo said today “felt like old times” inside the hostile Breslin Center.

“We haven’t had that,” Izzo said. “And even a year or two before (COVID-19), we had issues, there were problems. ... So yeah, I did feel (the energy); it felt good. It felt good from a fan standpoint.”

Today, the roars that echoed throughout the rafters of the Breslin Center came frequently and punctuated every big moment for Michigan State in the comfortable 16-point victory. It was a welcome return to MSU’s hostile homecourt to provide another edge, powering them over Michigan in a game they desperately needed to win to stay in Big Ten title contention.

“I love the place, I love our students and I love when the place is electric like that,” Izzo said. “I think today was a good win for Michigan State, and Michigan State means the world to me.”