On Tuesday night, Michigan State point guard A.J. Hoggard joined elite company with 14 assists in an 80-67 win for the Spartans over Nebraska.
It was the most assists by any MSU player since national champion and school legend Mateen Cleaves handed out 20 assists against Michigan in 2000.
Hoggard's 14 assists is tied for the third-most in a single game in school history. Earvin "Magic" Johnson accomplished the feat three times, twice during the 1978-79 season and once in 1977-78, during his career. Gary Ganakas' 17 assists in 1972-73 against Rochester are the second-most in a single game in school history.
Ironically, Hoggard's feat came after what head coach Tom Izzo considered the worst half of his point guard's career.
Through the first 20 minutes of the game against Nebraska, it looked like Michigan State was on its way to another tough road loss in Lincoln, as they trailed 38-26 at halftime.
Defensively, the Spartans were lackadaisical, allowing several easy baskets for the Cornhuskers. Offensively, MSU was discombobulated and, for Tom Izzo-coached teams, the blame for being disorganized on offense falls on the point guard.
“I thought it was the worst half of basketball that A.J. played and that is what we talked about at halftime," Izzo said after the game. "And as bad as I thought he played, he thought he played worse."
Numbers-wise, you wouldn't have thought Hoggard had played all that bad in the first half. At the break, the junior had four points, two rebounds and four assists, but he shot just 2-for-7 from the floor. The bigger issue was Hoggard's lack of defensive intensity and an inability to get Michigan State in a rhythm offensively.
"We weren’t guarding anybody," Hoggard said. "I couldn’t guard a sitting chair. I had to come out (in the second half) and regain some focus and just get my team going."
It was Hoggard's admittance to his head coach that he had played poorly in that first half that gave Izzo the confidence his point guard could bounce back.
"You always wait for moments when guys grow up," Izzo said. "You grow up when you are able to say, ‘It is my fault.’"
There was a stark difference in effort-level and cohesiveness from the Spartans in the final 20 minutes, in which they outscored Nebraska 54-29 to run away with the victory.
In the second half, Hoggard had six points and 10 assists, giving him a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists for the game, all while turning the ball over just once.
"The second half he was phenomenal," Izzo said.
Hoggard isn't Michigan State's most talented player, and he didn't lead the Spartans' comeback all on his own. Tyson Walker, Jaden Akins and Joey Hauser deserve a lot of credit for the way they shot the ball in the second half. There's no question, however, that Hoggard is MSU's emotional leader, and he sets the tone for this team on both ends of the floor.
When that tone is gritty, aggressive and tenacious, the Spartans are usually in a good spot.
"We didn't do a good job at the beginning of the game," Hoggard said. "We found a way to get down in the second half and fight back and come out with the win. …
"It's March coming up. We know what this time of year means. We got some veteran guys that have been through it and want to see a different outcome come around this time. We just had to buckle down."
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