Michigan State men's basketball welcomed Northern Arizona to the Breslin Center for Student Events on Nov. 7, 2022 for their season and home opener. The Spartans won, 73-55.
Graduate student forward Joey Hauser led the team with 18 points. Sophomore guard Pierre Brooks followed with 14 points, a career-high.
After creeping back to seal the 67-58 victory over Penn State in its first Big Ten road game of the 2022-23 season, Michigan State will return to the Breslin Center to take on Brown Saturday afternoon.
In Michigan State’s win, junior guard A.J. Hoggard played a pivotal role, leading the team to victory. Hoggard clinched a season-high of 23 points along with six rebounds. He was surrounded by 20-plus family members in the arena.
Hoggard played consistently throughout the game, showing signs of his performance abilities at the end of the 2021-22 season.
“It sets an example of the energy and the dynamic that I'm bringing to the table,” Hoggard said. “I want to be able to rally my guys and get them going in any way possible.”
Head Coach Tom Izzo said that while Hoggard remains a work in progress, he’s seen major improvements since his start at MSU, specifically in his free throw abilities. The next step for Hoggard is to stay consistent in order to step up as the leader MSU needs him to be.
“If he gets consistent he’ll go from good to great,” Izzo said. “That’s the push.”
Graduate student Joey Hauser was another Spartan who had an impressive game, carrying the team on defense with a team high of 13 defensive rebounds.
It was a much-needed win, putting MSU at 1-1 heading into the rest of conference play.
“The carryover has gotta be, can we consistently now do the things we gotta do to get better,” Izzo said. “It will be an incredible first 11 games I promise you.”
Scouting the opponent
Brown currently sits at 6-4, winning its past five games, most recently a narrow 59-58 victory over Rhode Island on the road.
Sophomore guard Kino Lilly Jr. leads the Bears in points with a season-high of 32, and averages 30.9 minutes a game.
Lilly Jr. was awarded Ivy League rookie of the year last season and played in all 29 games his freshmen season.
Other players to look for are senior guard Paxson Wojcik and sophomore forward Nana Owusu-Anane. Wojcik and Owusu-Anane have started in all ten games this season.
Wojcik happens to be the son of Michigan State assistant coach Doug Wojcik.
“I’ve watched Brown more than anybody, '' Wojcik said. "So many parents put so much into youth sports for their kids and to see your sons grow up, develop and actually have a chance to play in college is pretty special.”
Due to the Ivy League not having the same summer basketball schedule that MSU has, Paxson Wojcik is used to training with the Spartans during the summer.
“The odd thing is all the players know him,” Doug Wojcik said. “I think our players and Paxson would consider those guys friends.”
Brown’s roster includes a Detroit native, junior guard Dan Friday. Friday has started in four games this season, playing a high of 31 minutes against Colgate on Nov. 10.
The last time the Spartans faced the Bears was on Nov. 8, 2008 when MSU defeated its opponent at home, 45-34.
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“It’s a good team,” Izzo said. “They’ve got a great guard and Paxson is playing really well.”
Following the matchup against Brown, MSU will have a 10-day break during final exams, followed by a home game versus Oakland on Dec. 21.
When asked about the scheduled break in the coming weeks, “I think it’s going to be very beneficial for us not just rest wise, but just more gym time and time to sharpen up things we need to get better on,” Hoggard said. “Just more time to prepare.”
