Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Northern Arizona

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts in the first half against the Duke Blue Devils during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 20, 2022 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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Michigan State guard A.J. Hoggard dribbles against Davidson guard Foster Loyer during the first half of the first round of NCAA tournament on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina. /

1. AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker combine for 30 points, 10 assists

Michigan State should win this game comfortably, so I’m not going to waste a prediction on the final score or spread prediction (although I think the Spartans cover -21.5). Instead, I’m going with some praise for what I believe is the best backcourt in the Big Ten.

Against Grand Valley, we saw Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard combine for 20-plus points and nine assists while stealing the ball at a high clip. We’ll see them play well together again.

Walker is going to get hot early and hit some early threes while Hoggard takes advantage of his size and aggressiveness and gets into the lane for some easy finishes around the rim. Plus, driving on either of these two just doesn’t work well for opposing guards and they’ll be swiping a few balls for easy transition buckets.

Hoggard is going to finish with 14 points, seven assists, and three steals while Walker has 16 points, three assists, and four steals.

Not a bad opener for the dynamic backcourt, potentially without Jaden Akins.

Next. 5 bold predictions for MSU basketball's season. dark

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