AJ did so many things well today. I especially like that he is still attacking but not getting called for charging so often. 

Even though Joey had a bad shooting day, I thought his defense and his rebounding were big pluses. I am happy to see that he is important to the team beyond simply being a threat from 3.

At this point, I see Malik, AJ, Joey, and Tyson as players who could be 2nd or 3rd team all-conference. I also believe AJ and Tyson are proving to be as good as any, if not the best, backcourt in the conference. 

I was not disappointed in Mady’s play. He had a big job to defend HD, and came through. He continues to rebound fairly well, too. 

@hazelmotes yeah Mady has been pretty good on defense and is a great rebounder. Something seems off on the offensive end. He seems to have lost some confidence around the rim.

@spartypants I was just going to say that. Mady is solid on the defensive rim and just seemed rushed and playing with a little too much emotion which led to the bad shots and turnovers. Maybe he gets it cleaned up the next few games.

Always great to beat Michigan. Always. Takeaways:

1. Malik Hall is an impact player. We play much better with him in the lineup. Just coming back from a foot injury and now he twists his ankle. It’s a long season. I hope Hall can give us a solid 20 every night.

2. Mady Sissoko is having problems scoring. He has a small repertoire of shots to begin with, mostly variations of dunks. He’s missing them. Teams are leaving Mady alone at the top of the key because they don’t worry about him scoring or even driving from there. And they’re right. 

3. Both Kohler and Cooper had their moments - good and bad - but mostly held their own. They T’d up Cooper for flopping?!?! 

4. AJ Hoggard is the guy you want with the ball when the game is on the line. He’s got clutch confidence. 

5. We were horrible offensively. Had a lot of good looks too. It’s tough when Houser, Akins, and Walker are all cold at the same time. 

It’s always great to beat Michigan. Go Green!

@althelion Re: #5...I don't think MSU was horrible offensively, at least not in terms of the way I'd measure those things.  To me, it's first and foremost about the way your offense is working in terms of generating good shots and they did that well. The open shots just weren't dropping often enough.  That happens sometimes, and with this team, I don't worry about it happening a lot.

Hall is a huge impact guy at both ends.  Just calms everything down, plus he gives you real defensive versatility.

@hazelmotes Hauser's defensive improvement isn't being discussed enough. Is he a "stopper?" No, but he's miles and miles better than he was even last year. Generally in the right place at the right time and smaller quicker players aren't having much success driving the ball at him the way they have in the past.  That's a big deal.

Posted by: @spartypants

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Always great to beat U of M! Defensive slug fest that went our way. Take any Big 10 wins you can get!

The Good:

1. Loved how AJ attacked today, especially in winning time. He’s the emotional leader we need.

2. Except for the last Walker 1 and 1, MSU nailed their free throws down the stretch. That’s huge.

3. Defensively bullied Michigan most of the game. That’s a good offense that really struggled.

4. Carson Cooper had the best two minute stretch of his young career.

5. Never wilted when Michigan made a run. Clean inbound passes, made free throws, managed the clock.

6. Keep the emotion in check. Thought some of the calls went Michigan’s way and everyone kept their cool.

7. Did another solid job rebounding.

The Bad

1. Horrible shooting night against a bad defensive team. Would have thought MSU could have gotten better looks.

2. When they did get open looks, they missed a lot. Hauser was especially off.

3. Mady is regressing. He had continued to struggle since the opening few games. 

4. Why isn’t Pierre Brooks a bigger part of the picture? He has the tools to make more of an impact.

5. Slow starts continue to plague this team.

The Injured

Malik twisted his ankle but came back and seemed ok.

I think MSU largely got good looks in this game.  Not hitting them doesn't mean they weren't open.

Not sure Mady is regressing either, at least not in the ways MSU needs him.  He's been largely good to outstanding defensively and he's boarding well.  The offensive output is gravy at this stage.

I thought Pierre had a nice game defensively in this one, which is a positive step. Honestly, though, whose minutes should he be taking in the rotation now that they're back to full strength?

@rodmsu1968 that’s definitely a fair question re: Brooks and minutes allocations. Why don’t you think he has taken the same jump as Akins? They were very similar regarded recruits. Maybe a product or recruiting rankings being a crapshoot?

I notice that Izzo regularly pronounces ”Hunter Dickinson” as “Hunter Dickerson”: I wonder if the mispronunciation is a subtle show of disrespect. 

@hazelmotes nah. Izzo notoriously mispronounces all sorts of words and gets idioms all messed up too. Reminds me of my dad. 

The classic is where he called him “Cock”-burn instead of Coburn.