Offense Shows Life From Deep, Defense Leads the 2nd Half to 5th Straight Quad I Win

**BRESLIN CENTER- East Lansing, MI**

Wisconsin came in, looking to play spoiler and possibly steal a share of the championship. Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson and Jaxon Kohler rose to the occasion while the defense put their clamps firmly on in the second half in a thrilling 71-62 victory over the Badgers Sunday afternoon.

Akins made 4, 3-pointers in the first HALF and finished with 19 points (6-18 FG, 4-9 3-pt, 3-6 FTs) and 8 rebounds, Jase dealt with early foul trouble but still managed to have an impact in 21 minutes with 11 points (4-9 FG, 3-6 3-pt), 5 rebounds and 6 assists managing only 1 turnover. Jaxon Kohler registered a gutsy double-double with 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-3 FTs) and 16 rebounds (7 offense, WIS= 8) and 2 assists.

Wisconsin received quality efforts from Nolan Winter (9 points, 14 rebounds, 4-4 FTs), John Blackwell (19 points, 5 reb, 6 assists) and John Tonje (11 points, 3-13 FGs, 1-8 3-pt, 4-4 FTs) but went cold all went cold at the worst possible time. MSU locked up the perimeter defense, continued to pound the glass to a +11 margin and 20 assists on 28 field goals plus 6 blocks reminded the Big Ten and the other March Madness hopefuls, of what this time will be bringing in a few short weeks.

HUGE HOME W.

HIGHLIGHTS 📽️ pic.twitter.com/S5FiRFXCTw

— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 2, 2025

In the second half, Michigan State’s defense tightened, holding Wisconsin to just 7-for-22 shooting and 2-of-11 from three-point range. The Spartans took control of the game with a decisive 8-0 run in the final minutes, expanding their lead from 62-60 to 70-60. Key plays included Coen Carr’s poster dunk and Jaden Akins’ fast-break slam, which electrified the crowd and provided the Spartans with the momentum they needed. During a portion, Coach Izzo was letting the officials have it with a passionate argument and then leading the crowd into a fiery frensy.

In the end, it was too much soaring and dunking by Carson Cooper and Coen Carr while Jase picked it up in the second half offensively, turning into a potential lottery pick slot in the upcoming NBA draft. Frankie Fidler provided a spark of everything, yet again, continuing to show how effective he can be while this unit plays for each other. It’s a few different guys most nights, sharing the burden, getting onto loose balls, keeping rebounds alive and crashing the glass have collectively been their identity all year. Even when this historically bad 3-point shooting would sink any other season, MSU has sharpened their tools in virtually every other area, to give themselves at least a chance in a close game late. This team will go as far as they collectively continue to play for one-another and continue to gel while growing confidence. They are doing this well, despite some of the glaring inefficiencies shown and the cold outside shooting is showing some life occasionally, leaving us to believe that there is more improvement ahead to witness.

Raising Banners; Leaving Footprints in the Sand

Two more games left. A stunning Michigan home loss to Illinois has now created a chance for MSU to win this title outright, just by beating Iowa should Michigan falter Wednesday night. The Iowa game is Thursday, 3/6 at 8pm on FS1 in Iowa City.

TEAM STATS:

Spartans: 28-71 FG (39.4%), 9-27, 3-PT (33.3%), 6-13 FT (46.2%)

Badgers: 22-65 FG (33.8%), 5-32, 3-PT (15.6%), 13-16 FT (81.3%)

Record/Rankings & More:

24-5 (15-3, 1st-Big Ten) Rankings: #8 AP / #8 Coaches Poll
Updated KenPom- Off: 32nd / Def: 5th. Adjusted Tempo: 160th. SOS Net Rtg: 32nd +12.62

Updated Bart Torvik- ADJOE: 42nd/ADJDE: 5th / EFF.FGD%: 45.7 (12th) / ORBD %: 36.2 (18th) & DRBD %: 24.9 (11th)

Other Metrics: KPI (6th), ESPN SoR (8th), ESPN BPI (11th), T-Rank: 15th — #7 in FT % (80.0%), #9 in FTM/game (17.7)/ #38 in FTA/game (22.1)

FULL KenPom Stats: https://kenpom.com/index.php

FULL Bart Torvik Stats: https://barttorvik.com/#

FULL T-Rank Stats: https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2025/net-teamsheets-plus#google_vignette