Michigan State took the 64 mile bus ride from East Lansing to Ann Arbor on Saturday night, completing the sweep over their in-state archrivals Michigan. The Spartans held the Wolverines scoreless over the final 7 minutes of the game en route to a 73-63 win as the Crisler Center was serenaded with “Go Green, Go White” chants from the Spartan faithful.
The win serves as a Q2 win for Michigan State, which still is helpful in further bolstering their NCAA Tournament resume.
Coming out of the rivalry sweep, let’s take a look at some of the takeaways from MSU’s big victory in Ann Arbor on Saturday:
1. Malik Hall
This has been a popular topic the last few weeks, but Malik Hall has arrived. It isn’t uncommon to see seniors have a boost as their time playing college basketball comes to an end, and Hall might be doing just that.
Travis Trice infamously started his magical senior season run in 2015 with a win in Ann Arbor, while this isn’t the first Hall takeover, this is just furthering the point that Hall is going to lead this MSU team strongly into the postseason.
2. The Bench
AJ Hoggard picked up his second foul of the game at the 14:51 mark of the first half, and didn’t see the floor for the rest of the half. Despite Hoggard’s absence, the Spartans went into the half up by two points, being led by their bench.
If MSU can get quality bench minutes from the likes of Tre Holloman, Coen Carr and Xavier Booker, while the one of the big four sit down, the Spartans are a very scary team for any opponent.
3. Another road performance
Michigan State, for the second straight game, has shown up on the road. The Spartans, who at one time had a woeful record away from home, have pieced together a couple of nice performances on the road – giving fans faith that this team can string together wins away from home.
This MSU team is learning one key thing, defense travels, and the team is one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Bonus: Davis Smith
Davis Smith said making two FTs vs. UM ranks "No. 1 for sure" on his career highlights: "Anything Michigan-related for me is No. 1. Being able to do this in this game is a dream.”
What did his dad think? “He was just glad I could make my free throws. Something he couldn’t do.”
— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) February 18, 2024
What a moment it was for Davis Smith. Smith was thrusted on in the last minute of the half for MSU. In that minute, he was fouled with under a second to go in the half, and given two free throws.
He buried them both giving MSU the lead, in what was a career defining moment for the former walk-on, and is surely a moment to make all of Spartan Nation feel fantastic about.
