Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from comeback win at Nebraska

Reeling after a shocking comeback loss at Iowa, Michigan State basketball looked broken through the first 20 minutes of action on Tuesday night.

The Spartans found themselves down 38-26 at halftime and even in the second half when they pulled within three, 48-45, the Cornhuskers put together a 7-0 run in a matter of minutes, capped off by a Keisei Tominaga Steph Curry-esque 3-pointer on a breakaway. Spirits seemed broken, feelings were hurt, and it felt like the Spartans were destined to lose another game away from home.

But the Spartans just wouldn’t let that happen in the second half.

What’d we learn from the Spartans’ comeback win at Nebraska?

3. AJ Hoggard quietly had an elite game

Honestly, AJ Hoggard isn’t going to get a ton of credit for the game he had with Jaden Akins, Tyson Walker, and Joey Hauser lighting up the scoreboard from deep.

But he was quietly elite.

Hoggard finished with 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting, but it wasn’t his scoring that was turning heads, it was his passing. He tied Magic Johnson’s school record with 14 assists on the road and his total was the third-most in a single game (home or away) in program history.

Yes, Hoggard had 14 assists. Not only did he have 14 assists, but he had just one single turnover. That’s just an insane rate.

If AJ can facilitate like he did on Tuesday night and protect the ball while scoring 10-15 points a night, this MSU team is going to be tough to beat in March.