Ahead of this Sunday’s huge road game against No. 1 Purdue, Michigan State Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tom Izzo took to the podium to discuss the matchup as well as senior forward Malik Hall’s progress.
Hall returned from injury in Thursday’s 63-61 win against Iowa, coming off the bench and notching 11 points, four assists and three rebounds. He was also a defensive presence, holding star junior forward Kris Murray to just 11 points.
“Having him around is just a calming effect,” Izzo said.
The plan is still to ease Hall into his regular workload. He didn’t practice Thursday and the staff will monitor his pain levels heading up to Sunday’s game.
Hall isn’t the only player starting to show his progress since returning from injury. Sophomore guard Jaden Akins, in the midst of a stretch of excellent play, put up another solid performance against the Hawkeyes. He scored a team-high 12 points, along with six rebounds and three assists.
“Jaden has definitely come into his own now,” Izzo said. “He’s playing way better defensively, he’s more active. Offensively, he can get a shot for himself - he’s shooting the ball pretty well.”
Despite the win, there were plenty of things for Izzo and his coaching staff to be upset about, especially on offense. MSU started off slow, put up only 63 points against the worst defensive team in the Big Ten and allowed the Hawkeyes a real shot to win at the buzzer.
“I think we did some poor things offensively, got a little stagnant,” Izzo said.
Junior guard A.J. Hoggard, who has been strong all season, had an uncharacteristically bad night, shooting 3-12 from the field and turning the ball over three times.
“I had a long conversation with him this morning to be honest with you,” Izzo said. “He’s got to get back to realizing who he is and what he is.”
A win is a win, but that kind of play won’t cut it against the Boilermakers, who currently sit atop the AP Poll.
This will be the second matchup between the two teams, the first ending in a 64-63 Purdue victory back on Jan. 16. That hard-fought battle came down to the very last shot.
“Last time we played, we played them pretty well,” Izzo said. “We didn’t guard the big guy like we maybe should’ve, and yet I think it was Fletcher Loyer in the last five minutes that beat us, not the big guy.”
However, MSU did not have the help of Hall last time around. Although it’s in the air just how long he’ll be able to play, the addition of Hall to the rotation is sure to help the Spartans on both sides of the court.
