Michigan State basketball might be hitting its stride after their early February slide. One guy is hitting another level. That is Jaxon Kohler, who showcased his toughness in the Spartans' victory at Illinois on Saturday and again versus Purdue on Tuesday.
This team needed him to make noise, and boy he did against the Illini. He finished the night with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Not to mention, he really showcased his 3-point shooting as he made four 3-pointers.
Think Jaxon Kohler knew how big his effort play was? 😤
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 17, 2025
The @MSU_Basketball F's clutch And-1 in Saturday's historic win at Illinois is our #B1GMBBall 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠.
📍 @OldTrapper pic.twitter.com/sC2ugkDBBL
To see Kohler a big go 4-for-5 from outside was a huge moment. It appears Kohler is finally hitting the level, a lot of previous Tom Izzo post players have. He's certainly showcasing a side to his game, that most have always known has been their.
Kohler might just be the key to helping get MSU back to the Final Four. He's living up to a precedent set by other post-players like him. The 2000 National Championship team had AJ Granger who was a productive player in the post for the Spartans during his career. He hit another level as a senior as he showcased the deep ball.
He hit plenty of timely 3-pointers during the 1999-2000 season en route to the national championship.
If that wasn't enough of a big making play, look no further than the 2009 national runner-up team. Goran Suton stepped up to the plate as a senior that season. He turned into one of the Spartans' more memorable March Madness players in recent memory.
In fact, during that run, he shut down USC's Taj Gibson, holding him to just three points. Suton then went on to hit some clutch shots against Louisville in the Elite Eight. He finished the game with 19 points and was named the region's Most Outstanding player.
Suton really delivered, much like Granger back in 2000. Now the Spartans appear to have Kohler following in their footsteps. Spartan Nation has been waiting for Kohler to showcase his skills. His performance against Illinois may have been the kickstarter.
I'm glad to see the toughness from Jaxon. It's only going to help this team over the next couple games, especially against Michigan, Maryland, and Wisconsin.