Malik Hall had one of most legendary Senior Night performances ever

Malik Hall stepped up on Senior Night when Michigan State needed him most and quietly had a legendary performance.

Michigan State needed a spark midway through the first half against Northwestern. The Spartans were struggling to get anything going offensively, and the team looked disinterested at times. Enter, Malik Hall.

In moments like that, you need one of your upperclassmen to step up and will the team to a victory. And that’s exactly what he did on Wednesday.

Malik Hall stepped up when MSU needed him most

With seven minutes to go in the first half, the Spartans were stuck on only nine points. Not only could the team not score, but it lacked any energy at this point in the game. That all changed when they came out from the under-eight media timeout.

It looked like a switch flipped in Hall’s head as he immediately brought all the energy to the team. Malik’s energy is what sparked a mini-run to close the half, which included two 3-pointers from Tre Holloman. Without that spark from Hall, who knows how badly the first half would’ve ended.

Not only did Malik provide that needed spark, but he also followed it up by playing one of the best all-around games of his career. He finished the game with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Fifteen points is solid, but nothing special for Hall, but snagging 17 rebounds is game-changing. Rebounding is all about who wants it more, and Hall showed that he wanted this win more than anyone else on the court.

But where does his Senior Night performance stack up all time in MSU history?

Malik’s Senior Night is one of the best of all time

When I think about legendary Senior Night performances, two guys immediately come to mind. The first is Cassius Winston and his 27-point performance in 2020. This win clinched a Big Ten title and came against a ranked Ohio State team. This game also will be forever remembered as the last game of Winston’s career, which makes it even more memorable.

The second Senior Night performance, which I think is the best of all time, is Mateen Cleaves. He led Michigan State to a 114-63 demolition over Michigan on his Senior Night. He finished with 20 assists in this game, which is a Big Ten single-game record that still stands today. He also set the Big Ten career assists record in this game, which stood for 20 years until Cassius broke it in 2020.

I honestly would put Malik’s performance on a level just below these two legendary performances. A 15-point, 17-rebound double-double hardly ever happens at the college level. Especially when you consider that Hall isn’t the tallest or biggest guy on the court, 17 rebounds is insane. Then you add in that Michigan State needed this win for its NCAA Tournament hopes, and it puts this Senior Night performance high on my all-time list.

Malik Hall has been on fire for the second half of this season for Michigan State, and that’s going to have to continue if the Spartans want to go on a run. They close their regular season at Indiana, which has become very hot. Can Hall continue his elite senior season run and lead MSU to victory on Sunday? I think he can.