EAST LANSING – That was a proper send-off.
From and for a team that brought this Michigan State basketball program back to its standard. From a Breslin Center crowd that’s been great all season, but reached consistent decibels in the first half Sunday I haven’t heard in years. For a senior in Jaden Akins who set the tone, making sure this game had a chance to go how it went.
The middle of the second half took some steam out of what could have been an all-time satisfying finale, but everyone associated with MSU would have signed up for this outcome — a 79-62 win over Michigan for a 17th Big Ten win — before the day began.
This is an MSU team that has big dreams for the next few weeks. At 26-5, it’s already left an indelible mark on this season — for how it played and won, the joy it brought people, and the Big Ten championship banner it just raised, having won the league by three games.
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You couldn’t script it any better for the Spartans — to close out the Big Ten title Thursday night and then pound their rivals for emphasis. It didn’t quite play out so dramatically, but the point was made.
The Spartans played the first half Sunday like they’ve played so many second halves — overwhelming their opponent defensively, and driving and feeding off the energy in the building.
It was too much to keep up. This, after all, is a good Michigan team, one that was leading the Big Ten race not long ago. And this is an imperfect MSU team, one that can fall into ruts offensively.
And so a 25-point second half lead — which was as high as 24 in the first half — got down to 11 after 14-0 Michigan run.
Jase Richardson saved and propelled MSU down the stretch — hitting a 3 when the lead was cut to 11 and then a driving layup when Michigan got the deficit back down to 12 a couple minutes later. Richardson finished with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, another incredible and increasingly normal performance. He’s MSU’s guy. They leaned on him when it mattered Sunday and will again throughout March.
After the game, it took him a minute to realize fans were chanting “One more year” to him. Whatever he decides, this title means there’s something tangible to his legacy.
“If you would have asked me in November if I was getting that (chant toward me) at the end of the season, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Richardson said in the locker room.
Tre Holloman’s career-high 20 points, Akins’ three early 3s, Jeremy Fears Jr.’s six assists, Jaxon Kohler’s nine points and seven rebounds — MSU got this done collectively, even if Akins’ cold-shooting after his hot start and Fears’ five turnovers played into a few semi-tense moments in the second half.
The tension picked up again in the final minute, as MSU’s seniors were checking out and kissing the logo and two Michigan players were standing in the way. Naturally, Holloman was in the middle of it, defending MSU’s honor.
“Nobody is taking our tradition,” Izzo told the crowd afterward, before having Holloman, a junior, kiss the center court logo during the banner ceremony.
That was a regular season for the ages by MSU. It’ll be appreciated because it was unclear if the Spartans would have another year like this under Izzo. The Spartans were unlikely champions who grew into the role. And, given the last seven games, finished it emphatically.
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2. Akins’ set the tone on his senior night
This is an MSU team with three seniors, but just one who’s earned the title in East Lansing. Jaden Akins has been a lot of things to MSU’s program — a tantalizing freshman, a sharp-shooting sophomore, a defensive hound, a senior who wanted to be great and had to find his way to accepting being good.
If this MSU team had a proven go-to guy entering the season, it would have helped Akins. Jase Richardson’s emergence certainly did.
The applause Akins got as he was honored postgame spoke to peoples’ appreciation for him. The tears from him said a lot, too.
“It just was a full-circle moment, all the emotions just built up into one,” Akins said, sitting at his locker. “I didn’t think I was going to cry, but then at that moment, just kind of took over. I was just happy. I was enjoying the moment.
“It just means a lot. I just appreciate the fans for supporting me through good times and bad times and just staying there (with me).”
Akins’ ability to keep playing with confidence and worth on both ends even when his shooting challenged that confidence will be part of his legacy this season. So will the winning. There have been better seniors at MSU. But not many of have them helped lead teams to where Akins helped lead this team.
He’s hit some big 3s over the last three games — hitting at least three in each of them and three in the first seven minutes Sunday. If he can hit a few more this postseason, a little more consistently, MSU has a chance to keep playing for a quite a while.
“I wanted to be able to win something,” Akins said. “And I feel like, winning the (Big Ten) championship — we’re trying to do more — but I’m definitely going to enjoy this. And knowing that banner is going to be hanging in the building for as long as the building’s up.”
3. Time for a reset before the postseason
MSU will get an important few days to reset and prepare for the Big Ten tournament and beyond. The Spartans could use the exhale. This has been a grind. They won the grind. The postseason will be a different kind of grind. You have to earn it all over again.
The question now is how badly MSU wants to stick around in the Big Ten tournament. The championship is the regular season in the Big Ten, especially when it’s won outright. And when you’ve put everything the Spartans have into the last three months to win it, it’s hard to imagine them being as hungry in Indianapolis. The field is full of teams who will have more to gain. MSU is probably locked into a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament now and the Spartans have their Big Ten title in hand.
Top-seeded MSU will face either 8-seed Oregon or 9-seed Indiana at noon Friday in Indianapolis. If Oregon is the opponent, I’d probably pick the Ducks. That’s a strong team that’ll be out to prove themselves and able to do so without traipsing the country. If it’s Indiana on the other side, well, the Spartans might want that one, given what happened at Breslin in early February. Maybe they’ll want it all. That’s a lot to ask. The real tournament for them is the following week.
Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.