Michigan State basketball: Report card for big road win at Penn State

Dec 7, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard AJ Hoggard (11) gestures from mid court during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Michigan State defeated Penn State 67-58. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 7, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard/forward Myles Dread (2) defends as Michigan State Spartans forward Joey Hauser (10) drives the ball to the basket during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Michigan State defeated Penn State 67-58. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

Forwards: B+

I thought Joey Hauser and Jaxon Kohler played fairly well offensively but had their struggles on the defensive end.

Hauser had a nice shooting game, going 5-for-10 from the floor and he did have 15 (!!) rebounds which really helped eliminate second-chance points for the Nittany Lions. Hauser was a monster on the glass and Michigan State needs more of that with Malik Hall still sidelined. Joey also added a really nice block in the second half which had me jumping out of my seat.

As for Kohler, I mentioned in the takeaways that I thought he showed some really nice flashes offensively. He still has trouble getting boards as he doesn’t go up to contest often, but his offense is at least trending in the right direction. He finished the night with six points on 3-for-6 shooting in 13 minutes which all seemingly came in the first half.

One minor issue I do have with Kohler is the fact that he’s been short-arming a lot of his shots because he’s fading or backing away from the hoop. He needs to go up stronger with the ball because when he does, he can be really tough to stop.

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