Michigan State basketball defeats Davidson thanks to clutch plays late

Michigan State basketball relied on some clutch plays down the stretch to beat the Foster Loyer-led Davidson Wildcats on Friday.

Less than 10 minutes were remaining in Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament opener. A jumper by Davidson big man Luka Brajkovic capped off a 7-0 run by the Wildcats to pull them ahead 52-49. The Spartans didn’t fold regardless of the momentum swinging Davidson’s way. Crucial plays by MSU came in pairs as the game was hanging in the balance.

• AJ Hoggard stopped the bleeding by penetrating to convert back-to-back layups.
• Joey Hauser drained a 3-pointer then Gabe Brown buried one (on a beautiful left-handed dish by Hoggard at the end of a drive and kick-out).
• Hoggard sank yet another shot and then Julius Marble made a reverse layup plus a foul (he drilled the free throw) during a period in the contest when Davidson only trailed by two.

During the final 1:15, Michigan State made 10 shots from the charity stripe to fend off Davidson in the closing seconds.

This will go down as one of the most remarkable responses by a Michigan State player from one game to the next in recent memory. Joey Hauser was a smooth assassin when it was win or go home time. After going scoreless against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, Hauser went off for 27 points and eight rebounds.

On a night when main contributors Max Christie, Marcus Bingham Jr., Jaden Akins, and Malik Hall combined to score only 10 points, Hauser’s offense carried the Spartans to victory.

A few other keys for MSU down the stretch:

• Hoggard and Brown both finished in double figures, giving Hauser the support he needed scoring the basketball.
• Michigan State’s man-to-man defense was solid. They held Davidson’s two main scoring options (Foster Loyer and Hyunjung Lee) under their per-game season scoring averages. Their tight perimeter defensive pressure forced the Wildcats to miss 19 of their three-point attempts.
• MSU out-rebounded Davidson and turned the ball over less than they did (MSU only coughed it up seven times over the course of 40 minutes).

The Spartans still have a lot to clean up a lot but what’s important is that they were able to survive and advance. Duke presents an enormous test and the Spartans don’t match up well (on paper) with them yet Izzo relishes the underdog role.

Despite the odds stacked against MSU heading into the battle to come against the Blue Devils, Izzo has 70 all-time NCAA Tournament wins under his belt, therefore we know that his team will be well-prepared for the challenge that lies ahead of them.

Michigan State has been successful against Duke recently, winning two of the last three including an exhilarating win three years ago by Cassius Winston and Co. against Zion Williamson to reach the 2019 Final Four as well as an early December 2020 win at Duke. Coach Izzo would like nothing more than to officially send Coach K into retirement.