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Michigan State Basketball: Report card from blowout win over No. 16 Rutgers

By Connor Muldowney

Jan 5, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Aaron Henry (0) cheers on his team from the bench during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Aaron Henry (0) cheers on his team from the bench during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 5, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Joshua Langford (1) drives the ball against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Paul Mulcahy (4) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Joshua Langford (1) drives the ball against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Paul Mulcahy (4) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

AJ Hoggard: B+

You have to really give it up for AJ Hoggard. The freshman has come in and injected life into the lineup. He runs a clean point and had six assists with just two turnovers. The scoring will come eventually (just three points) but he played solid defense with two steals and a block. He may have just been the missing piece this team needed at point.

Joshua Langford: B

Joshua Langford got the start again and even though he looked shaky through the first half, he found his stride late and started making some shots. He missed a couple of wide open threes in the first half and his defense was a step slow, but he rebounded to go from a borderline C grade up to a B. He finished with 11 points, two assists and a rebound on 4-of-9 shooting and it’s good to see him comfortably playing 25 minutes again.

Aaron Henry: A

Easily the highest grade on the team from Tuesday’s win, Aaron Henry looked like a world-beater for a second straight game. He was close to earning that elusive A+ grade, but he did have four turnovers, so I had to keep that in mind. He scored 20 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting and had eight rebounds, four blocks, two steals and an assists, playing his best defense of the season. He stuffed the stat sheet and was the best player on the floor yet again. Is Henry becoming that ‘alpha dog’ before our eyes?

Joey Hauser: B

Offensively, Joey Hauser is ice-cold right now and he has been since scoring a career-high 27 in a tough loss to Wisconsin. Will he get back on track? Yes, but right now he’s struggling. He still managed to finish with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting but what really brought his grade up were his 14 rebounds.

Thomas Kithier: B-

We dog on Thomas Kithier a lot because he’s not the flashy big man Michigan State fans have grown accustomed to over the years, but he has been doing better things in recent weeks. He’s not an offensive juggernaut, but his defense was much better on Tuesday night. He battled with bigger guys and held his own. He also grabbed seven rebounds. He does need to do a better job of boxing out on the defensive glass, though.

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