MALIK HALL

Note: This is the seventh in a series of stories evaluating returning players on Michigan State’s 2022-23 roster. On Jan. 25 at Illinois, Hall missed the first of two free throws with 0.2 seconds left in a one-point Michigan State loss. I’m just going to continue to do what I can to help our team win.” – Hall, Feb. 1. By late January, Hall was Michigan State’s most offensive player and seemed poised to take hold of the vacant title of go-to scorer. And wherever he is, Michigan State will hope to get Hall on a similar trajectory to last year and keep him there.

Michigan State’s last postseason win was over Duke in the 2019 Elite Eight. Hoggard said he’s back to full health after being limited in Michigan State’s last three games due to illness. We’re going to have to do a little better job on him.”Should Michigan State beat the Terrapins on Thursday, it will face No. Michigan State has already started its preparation for that game, under Izzo’s practice of winning the weekend, not just the game. Getting to Michigan State’s typical spot in the semifinals this year would mean pulling off an upset.

Spartans senior Gabe Brown was named third-team All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches when the league’s postseason honors were announced on Tuesday, the day before the start of the Big Ten tournament. No other Spartans player averaged double figures, although seven averaged between 6.5 and 9.6 points per game. This season marks the second straight that Michigan State’s all-conference honors have been limited to one third-team member. Aaron Henry earned a third-team All-Big Ten honors last year. The Big Ten’s first-team all-conference consisted of Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn, Ohio State’s E.J.

Gabe Brown and Malik Hall led a key second-half surge and Tom Izzo became the all-time Big Ten leader in career wins as Michigan State defeated Maryland 77-67 on Sunday.

Gabe Brown and Malik Hall led a key second-half surge and Tom Izzo became the all-time Big Ten leader in career wins as Michigan State defeated Maryland 77-67.

Gabe Brown and Malik Hall led a key second-half surge and Tom Izzo became the all-time Big Ten leader in career wins as Michigan State defeated Maryland 77-67 on Sunday. With his 663rd win at Michigan State, Izzo passed Indiana’s Bob Knight for the most wins at a Big Ten school.

EAST LANSING – Nothing has come easy for this Michigan State basketball team, right down to the end of the regular season. The Spartans nearly blew a 20-point second-half lead before pulling out a 77-67 win over Maryland on Sunday on senior day at the Breslin Center. The win gives Michigan State (20-11, 11-9) the No. For most of the day, Michigan State seemed to have broken through to at last record a convincing win. That stretch kicked off a 46-point first half that gave Michigan State a 20-point lead at the break.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State entered Thursday’s matchup against Michigan State coming off of back-to-back embarrassing losses: on the road by 15 at Maryland and at home to a Nebraska team that was 2-16 in league play. So when Michigan State rolled to town, Ohio State was desperate and played like it as it rolled to an 11-point home win over the Spartans. Michigan State is now 2-7 in its last nine games, after following up a top-five win over Purdue on Saturday with losses to Michigan and Ohio State. Typically at this time of year, Michigan State teams are reaching their peak. The last seven Michigan State teams have all been above .500 in the final 10 games of the regular season.

As conference play comes to a close we have an interesting slate on Thursday, and arguably the best game on the board is this Big Ten showdown as Ohio State hosts Michigan State. Oddsmakers have Ohio State as a sizable favorite for this one, with the total set at 138.5. Ohio State -6Just when it looked like Michigan State might have things figured out following its upset win over Purdue, the Spartans went out and embarrassed themselves. Ohio State is coming off an embarrassing loss of its own to Nebraska, but that seems more like an outlier than anything else. Ohio State is very efficient on offense, but its defense is a bit leaky.

Tyson Walker made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, lifting Michigan State to a 68-65 win over No. 4 Purdue.

IOWA CITY, Iowa —Standing in a hallway deep inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, as disappointed players streamed by him toward the team bus, Michigan State junior forward Malik Hall acknowledged the obvious. With four games left in the regular season, this Michigan State malaise has dragged on past the point where previous Spartans teams have turned things around. We’ll get better.”Tuesday’s loss featured a familiar opening 10 minutes, in which Michigan State was out-competed and fell behind by double digits before halftime. No such rally came on Tuesday, as Michigan State wasn’t able to take its lessons from Saturday and carry them over three days later. For the second straight game, Izzo and players grew tired of watching Michigan State make a short run to get within 10 points but get no further.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It didn’t take long after Michigan State’s 26-point loss here at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday night for Tom Izzo to decide he’s ready to make some changes. Speaking after Michigan State lost for the fifth time in the last six games, Izzo at multiple points referenced changes that will be coming for his basketball team. Izzo has thus far opted not to make many significant changes during the Spartans’ skid of recent weeks. He called the technical “completely undeserved.”“I just it was a foul,” Izzo said. “I didn’t swear at him.”Michigan State was down by 11 points when Izzo was called for the foul.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State made progress against Illinois and nearly scored an improbable comeback thanks to some late heroics by point guard Tyson Walker. “I think it’s most important we get a little more out of our best players,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. Izzo said he thought Brown got good shots, but he went just 1-for-5 from 3-point range. Christie’s problem has been getting enough good shots. Adding in some improved performances from the Spartans’ best players could be the key to getting over the hump.

Malik Hall scored 18 points, Tyson Walker came off the bench to add 15 and No. 17 Michigan State snapped a two-game losing streak with a 76-61 victory over Indiana.

EAST LANSING – A Michigan State team that was called on to show more energy and passion amid its first losing streak of the season came to the Breslin Center on Saturday and showed plenty. 17 Spartans played a strong second half as they ran away from Indiana for a 76-61 win. With the win, Michigan State (18-6, 9-4) snapped a two-game losing streak, its first of the season, and pulled to within one game of first-place Illinois in the Big Ten standings. And Walker recorded 15 points, matching a season-high as he hit three 3-pointers in the second half. Michigan State will head on the road again to play Penn State on Tuesday.

EAST LANSING, MI -- When you need a bucket, feed Malik Hall. That’s what we’ve learned about Michigan State basketball after the junior captain scored a team-high 16 points, including a bucket with a second left to give the Spartans a 2-point win at Maryland on Tuesday night. It comes on the heels of a convincing win over rival Michigan at the Breslin Center. On episode 66 of MLive’s Spartan Confidential podcast, reporters Brandon Champion, Kyle Austin and Matt Wenzel discuss the good and bad of Michigan State’s buzzer-beating win at Maryland, as well as the Spartans dominant win against rival Michigan. Is Malik Hall Michigan State’s best player?

– As Michigan State huddled with 11 seconds left to draw up a play for a game-winning shot, nobody was surprised to hear whose name Tom Izzo called. But over the last several weeks, Malik Hall has established himself as Michigan State’s go-to late scorer. Hall’s last basket was part of a nine-point second half as Michigan State fended off a run from Maryland. Against Illinois on Tuesday, he had the Spartans final five points of the game as Michigan State nearly came back for a road win. In the Spartans’ road win at Wisconsin, Hall had a team-high 14 points.

– Michigan State earned a road Big Ten win, even if it didn’t take a step forward in its performance. But with plenty of positives and plenty of negatives following his team’s Tuesday night road win over Maryland, Tom Izzo chose to focus on the result: a 65-63 win on a basket by Malik Hall with one second left. “You get a road win in this league, it’s good. After a top-10 road win at Wisconsin last month, the Spartans had their worst offensive game of the season four days later in falling to a shorthanded Illinois team. But as Maryland charged back in the second half on Tuesday, it looked as if another big win would be followed by an upset loss.

The Spartans junior forward made a layup with 1.9 seconds left to lead Michigan State to a 65-63 road win at Maryland on Tuesday night at the Xfinity Center. Michigan State (17-4, 8-2) is now tied with Illinois at Wisconsin for first place at the midway point of the Big Ten season. After Michigan State built a 15-point lead less than three minutes into the second half, Maryland responded with an 11-point run to get back into the game. Michigan State had two turnovers and four missed shots in that stretch while allowing Maryland to record three layups and a dunk. On Saturday, Michigan State recorded one of its biggest wins of the year, when it beat rival Michigan at home by 16.

EAST LANSING, MI — Michigan State topped Michigan 83-67 for a dominant victory on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Michigan State defeated Michigan 83-67. Michigan State defeated Michigan 83-67. 100 Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball in East Lansing — Jan. 29, 2022Read more on MLive.com:Rematch? Michigan, Michigan State optimistic about rescheduling postponed gameMichigan basketball in must-win mode after humbling loss at Michigan StateMichigan preparing for Michigan State, ‘10x’ Breslin Center crowdAfter postponement disappointment, Michigan State revved up to face Michigan againWhat’s at stake for Michigan and Michigan State in Saturday’s rivalry gameDraymond Green signs with Turner Sports as ‘Inside the NBA’ analystMalik Hall has become Michigan State’s ‘stabilizer’Michigan State’s turnovers are frustrating, perplexing and not getting much better

Max Christie scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and Malik Hall finished with 15 points, leading No. 10 Michigan State to an 83-67 win over Michigan.

But the reality is that Michigan State wouldn’t have been in that position if not for Hall’s efforts. So Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is confident that Hall can handle one free throw miss in an otherwise strong stretch of play. Hall, the Spartans’ junior forward, has emerged as a larger part of Michigan State’s offense and a key late-game player in recent games. He also had an assist and an offensive rebound in that stretch, contributing to all of Michigan State’s points in the final 7:25. Michigan State’s challenge is to utilize that efficiency more than it has in recent games.

Michigan State fell behind by 14 points in the first half thanks to nine first-half turnovers that Illinois turned into 15 points. Michigan State has made a habit lately of slow and sloppy starts. Spartans forward Gabe Brown pointed to his team’s energy as the culprit as Michigan State fell behind by double digits early in a hostile road environment. “…The losses have been because of the turnovers.”Those turnovers, Izzo said, made it difficult for Michigan State to find a rhythm offensively. “You hold a team to 56 points the way we’ve been playing you should be able to win a game,” Izzo said.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Michigan State climbed nearly all the way back out of an early hole for an improbable road win. Five days ago, Michigan State beat a top-10 Wisconsin team on the road to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings. Michigan State also made its typical array of baffling turnovers, from uncontested traveling to open passes that sailed out of bounds and more. Michigan State shot just 3-for-14 from 3-point range and 34.5 percent from the field. Bingham led Michigan State with 13 points and added six rebounds and four blocks.

Ryan Young had 18 points and eight rebounds, helping Northwestern hold on to beat No. 10 Michigan State 64-62 for its first road win over a top 10 team in nearly five years.

EAST LANSING – The old cliché about rivalry games is that records are irrelevant. The Spartans take on a 7-6 Michigan team on Saturday in the first round of the annual rivalry in Ann Arbor. “Anybody that thinks this isn’t a good Michigan team is crazy,” Izzo said on Thursday after Michigan State’s practice. “This is a very talented, well-coached, they run good stuff, team,” Izzo said. “They’re trying to find themselves a little bit, too, but it’s an extremely talented team,” Izzo said.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State made it through the warm-up act to the week. The Spartans overcame a sloppy start to dispatch Nebraska, 79-67, on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center. Michigan State (13-2, 4-0) will take an eight-game win streak into that game a career game from freshman Max Chrsistie helped them dispatch the last-place Cornhuskers (6-9, 0-4). Michigan State turned the ball over 11 times in the opening 10 minutes to open the game, as its biggest bugaboo of the season returned in a big way. Nebraska, though, never got closer than six, as Michigan State made shots down the stretch to keep the Cornhuskers at bay.

Last season, Michigan State’s trip to Minnesota marked the first clear sign that the season was going awry. This year, Michigan State’s performance at Williams Arena was the latest sign of hope that this program is back on track. 19 Spartans (8-2) opened Big Ten play with a statement win over a Gophers team that entered the game undefeated at 7-0. Michigan State shot 48.1 percent from the field, its second-highest mark of the season, plus 10-for-21 from 3-point range. Hoggard, but Brown hit a key 3-pointer with 3:06 left and the Spartans’ hung on throughout the final minute when Minnesota got within single digits.

EAST LANSING – If Michigan State players were feeling good on Sunday about their 7-2 start and win over Toledo the day before, their coaches quickly gave them a cold dose of reality. The headline staring down at them declared it a “historic beatdown.”“It said that about 10 times,” Spartans junior forward Malik Hall said. The Minnesota team that Michigan State finds this year will be a significantly different one than the one it faced last year. Izzo said Johnson, who he once recruited to come to Michigan State, is his early pick for Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Gophers typically only play seven players, but Izzo points out that six of those rotation players are seniors.

Izzo had been expecting a lofty strength of schedule ranking, given the seeming difficulty of his team’s nine-game start. So he wasn’t surprised to see no major college basketball team has played a tougher non-conference schedule to date than his. “I’m happy with our schedule,” Izzo said. Coach says that every year, I schedule hard games on purpose just so we’re ready when Big Ten comes around. All three of the Spartans’ games in the Battle 4 Atlantis, against Loyola Chicago, Connecticut and Baylor are currently all seen as Quadrant 1 wins.

Michigan State still has hopes of joining the ranks of the elite this season and thinks it has what it takes to get there. Hall said he saw early that Michigan State would have a deep roster of scorers who could pick one another up when need be. “It’s going to give us more opportunities to execute without our turnovers,” Spartans point guard A.J. “There is a positive upside, I’ve been saying it all year, I think we played some great teams,” Izzo said. “I think we have played five really good teams and one on the road and somehow that is going to help us.

Hall went 3-for-4 from the field in both halves, including scoring all his points in one burst in the second half. “It was some good basketball that happened at that point in the game,” Hall said. Hoggard said that Hall shooting at that clip forces a defense to extend to the perimeter at four positions and makes things easier for everyone else. After that perfect game against Loyola, Hall went 0-for-5 against Connecticut and 1-for-3 against Baylor. He’s starting to play with a little more passion in what he does.”

EAST LANSING – Michigan State cam back from the Bahamas with a lot more than suntans. 22 Spartans pulled away midway through the second half to beat Louisville, 73-64, on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center. Hoggard helped Michigan State start to pull away for good. Michigan State hit six of its first seven 3-pointers en route to a first-half lead that reached as high as eight points. Michigan State won two of three games in last week’s Battle 4 Atlantis and entered the Associated Press poll for the first time all season at No.

Here are three takeaways from Michigan State’s 64-60 win over Connecticut in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals on Thursday:A team that knows how to winTwice in the last two days, Michigan State has been in a one-possession game in the final minute. And twice, Michigan State has made winning plays down the stretch to come out on top. Michigan State has players who have played in close games, but none that have truly played starring roles in them. The three-in-three format of holiday tournaments often reward depth, and Michigan State showed it has just that. He has more turnovers than made shots, and at winning time against Connecticut, Christie wasn’t on the floor.

With point guards struggling, Gabe Brown in foul trouble and Max Christie having a freshman game, Hall took charge in a way we haven’t seen him do before. Bingham’s rim protectionAfter holding Loyola to 37 percent shooting, Michigan State is now No. Izzo called that rim protection an “undervalued commodity”, and compared what Bingham’s done this season to what Jaren Jackson Jr. did in his lone season at Michigan State. His job will get harder when the Spartans face bigger teams, but Michigan State couldn’t ask for much more defensively than what Bingham’s providing right now. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppyMichigan State isn’t going to win many more games when it turns the ball over 20 times.

Playing in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Michigan State put together its ugliest half of basketball this season. Marcus Bingham Jr. recorded a game-winning dunk with two seconds left on a lob from Tyson Walker to give Michigan State a 63-61 win over Loyola Chicago in the opening game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas. He gave Michigan State the lead with a three-point play at 12:55, then added another basket less than a minute later. Michigan State scored the first nine points of the game and blocked Loyola’s first three shots. Michigan State will now play either Connecticut or Auburn on Thursday.

EAST LANSING – Malik Hall was in Michigan State’s starting lineup for the first time this season when the Spartans played Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Hall recorded 15 points and nine rebounds in the Spartans’ win over the Eagles, their third straight win of 20-plus points. The injury kept him from practicing on Thursday and Friday following Michigan State’s win over Butler. With Hauser out, the Spartans had a replacement ready who has already started 18 games in his first two seasons. “Something coach has been telling me since the beginning of the season, that I’m really important, I’m going to be a key to helping us win big, win games,” Hall said.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State’s most enigmatic player has suddenly become its most consistent, and it’s helped Michigan State to a strong early season stretch. Senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. scored a career-high 19 points to lead Michigan State to a 83-59 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon at the Breslin Center. Eastern Michigan (1-3) led for most of the opening eight minutes until Gabe Brown went on a personal five-point run that helped Michigan State start to pull away. Bingham played his best game in a Michigan State uniform and continued his strong start to the season. Michigan State also had its best game of the year taking care of the ball, with just 10 turnovers.

For one, his program is playing at one of college basketball iconic venues for the first time: Indianapolis’ Hinkle Fieldhouse. For another, his team hasn’t played a true road game in more than 20 months. The Spartans’ season ended a week after that game, and last season was played with no full-capacity crowds due to COVID-19 restrictions. At most, Michigan State played in front of some friends and family. While Michigan State has played plenty of games in Indianapolis, it hasn’t played one in Hinkle Fieldhouse since 1971.

This new-look Michigan State team, which features seven new players in all, has the potential to be one of the program’s more versatile in recent memory, Izzo said. “You’re going to have to mix and match guys.”Two of the key pieces that can give Michigan State the possibility of different looks are forwards Malik Hall and Joey Hauser. And after a year in which Michigan State struggled to find a viable option at point guard, Izzo said he’s considering using two-point guard looks at times. Michigan State has had plenty of problems to address following last year’s 15-13 campaign, which included a 9-11 Big Ten mark. “You can play big, you can play small, fast, you can play slow.

None of those candidates, though, wear a Michigan State uniform. Brown admits he hasn’t always been consistent throughout his Michigan State career and knows more will be expected of him this year. His first season playing at Michigan State didn’t pan out the way anyone hoped (9.7 points per game, 34 percent from 3-point range). “I don’t think anyone’s seen the real Joey Hauser,” Izzo said. So while Michigan State may not have any player of the year candidates at the start of the season, he isn’t ruling out that it will have some at the end.

But a third Michigan State athlete shares a history with Thorne and Reed, too. All the dreams that we talked about when we were younger.”Thorne, Reed and Hall spent their early high school careers together at Metea Valley High School outside Chicago. Two years after reuniting at Michigan State, all three have found success at the college level. He figures to play a key role when Michigan State opens its season next month. Early in their high school careers, the three had talked about finding success at the next level.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State’s roster got a significant makeover in the offseason, with six players moving on and seven new players coming in. Senior Gabe Brown and junior Malik Hall have been named Michigan State’s captains for the 2021-22 season, Spartans coach Tom Izzo announced on Tuesday. Brown has played more games in a Michigan State uniform than any player on the roster with 88. Hall said a significant part of the captains’ job will be improving on the team’s culture. “The main thing coach has harped on all offseason is culture, making sure everyone gets accustomed to the culture we had before last year and way back, the Mateen, Draymond type of culture,” Hall said.

Note: This is the fourth in a series of stories evaluating returning players on Michigan State’s 2020-21 roster. THE BAD: While Hall was certainly steady, it’s also hard to say he took a significant jump in his second year with Michigan State. But few Michigan State players were appreciated by coaches for their dependability as much as Hall was. In a year with several lineup questions, Michigan State will have the luxury of two solid options at that spot. It was notable, also, how often Hall was one of the players chosen to speak publicly during last season.

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime with Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Riley was back on the floor for a crucial free throw in overtime, and the Bruins survived to make it a good start to their 50th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated NCAA Tournament bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime on Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Once overtime came around, Juzang hit the first two baskets of the extra session to give UCLA the lead. Michigan State was 16 of 18 from the foul line but missed one in overtime. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981.

After Michigan State played a standout first half, it allowed UCLA to come back multiple times in the second frame to force overtime. The Bruins recorded a putback basket with 28.7 seconds left and a Michigan State foul allowed Jaime Jaquez Jr. to hit a game-tying free throw. Michigan State recorded a pair of turnovers and two missed shots to open the overtime period and never recovered. In the strangest NCAA Tournament environment in its history, Michigan State looked early on like it has in so many recent tournaments: like a hot team playing its best basketball of the season. That was enough to put Michigan State up by 11 at the half.

OVERTIMEFINAL: UCLA 86, Michigan State 80Michigan State’s season is over and UCLA is moving on to face BYU in the NCAA Tournament first round on Saturday. Michigan State falls to UCLA for early exit from NCAA Tournament1:23: UCLA 81, Michigan State 78After nine straight points by UCLA dating back to late in the second half, Langford spilt a pair of free throws to pull Michigan State within three. Michigan State extended its tournament streak with a late-season push that included a trio of wins against top-five teams in Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan. GAME INFORMATION:Who: Michigan State (15-12) vs. UCLA (17-9)When: 10:19 p.m.Where: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.) 206Line: Michigan State -2Twitter: Follow Kyle AustinRelated Michigan State basketball stories:Michigan State looks to go on NCAA Tournament run starting with play-in vs. UCLASpartan Confidential podcast: Michigan State, UCLA set for blue blood battleCan Michigan State go from a play-in game to an NCAA Tournament run?

Aaron Henry had 18 points to help the Spartans improve their chances of making the NCAA Tournament with a 71-67 win over No. This year, though, it looked as if the Spartans (13-9, 7-9 Big Ten) would not make their usual appearance in the NCAA Tournament until their recent surge with three straight wins. Michigan State beat top-five teams in consecutive conference games for the first time in program history. “Give Michigan State credit," Holtmann said. AdBIG PICTUREOhio State: Despite losing at Michigan State after a 92-87 setback to Michigan, earning top seeding in the NCAA Tournament is still within reach for the Buckeyes.

GAME INFORMATIONWho: Michigan State (10-7, 4-7) vs. No. 84)Line: Iowa -6Twitter: Follow Kyle AustinGAME NOTES• Iowa won, 84-78, in the first matchup of the season between the two teams on Feb. 2 in Iowa City. • Malik Hall will start his second straight game on Saturday in place of Joey Hauser, Tom Izzo said on Friday. • Michigan State has lost to Iowa twice in a season only two times since 1988: in the 2005-2006 season and in 2015-16 season. Michigan State ready for hectic late-season scheduleMarcus Bingham Jr. has another shot to start for Michigan State and plans on taking advantageSpartan Confidential podcast: Michigan State holds off Penn State, keeps slim tourney hopes aliveJoey Hauser strong off bench for Michigan State after move from lineup

EAST LANSING, MI -- The Spartans live to fight another day. Michigan State holds off Penn State 60-58 to get what was undoubtedly a must have win if the Spartans are going to rally and make the NCAA tournament. In episode 22 of MLive’s Spartan Confidential podcast, reporters Brandon Champion and Kyle Austin discuss Michigan State basketball’s much-needed win against Penn State including the insertion of Malik Hall into the starting lineup, continued struggles at point guard and Marcus Bingham Jr.’s emergence at the center position. The guys also discuss the Big Ten’s plans for a conference tournament in Indianapolis. You can listen to the episode here or by using the player below.

EAST LANSING – Joey Hauser followed up his worst game in a Michigan State uniform by doing one of the rarest things in sports:He asked to be benched. “Joey came in two days ago and said ‘Coach, I’m not playing as good, Malik’s playing good,” Tom Izzo recalled on Tuesday night. The two played nearly identical minutes, with Hauser playing 21 and Hall playing 20. Since exploding for 27 points on Christmas Day against Wisconsin, Hauser had averaged just seven points per game in the eight games since. “I think he’s just searching,” Izzo said.

We knew it was coming at some point Spartan Nation, we just didn’t know when. The Michigan State basketball program has been hit by COVID-19 with at least three positive tests this week. The Spartans’ scheduled games against Iowa on Thursday and Indiana on Sunday have been postponed as a result. MLive reporters Brandon Champion, Kyle Austin and Matt Wenzel discuss on episode 18 of MLive’s Spartan Confidential podcast. The guys also discuss continuing rotation issues and Tom Izzo’s puzzling decision to use Malik Hall and Joey Hauser to defend Michigan native Trevion Williams of Purdue.

Sophomore forward Malik Hall hasn’t filled up box scores or highlight reels. In a season that’s been defined by inconsistency, both in the Spartans’ results and in the play of many of their key players, Hall has been the exception. Three games ago, Hall didn’t record a shot attempt at Nebraska but had a team-high eight rebounds. “He’s been steady as a rock,” Izzo said. “It’s just part of the process.”But Izzo said he sees an improved shot from Hall in recent weeks and could see his role expand as Michigan State nears the second half of the season.

Izzo was worried the Boilermakers would hit late 3′s to come back and beat Michigan State. Purdue entered the game as a 37.9 percent 3-point shooting team but went just 3-for-24 behind the arc on Friday night. That duo did prevent late 3′s -- Purdue didn’t hit one in the final seven minutes. He scored 10 points in that stretch as Purdue erased a four-point deficit in the final 11 seconds of the game. Michigan State fared better against Williams in the first half, when he scored just two points and committed two fouls.

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)EVANSTON, Ill. – Boo Buie scored a career-high 30 points and Northwestern beat Michigan State for the first time in almost a decade, topping the No. Northwestern (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) stopped a 12-game slide in the series with its first victory over Michigan State since Jan. 14, 2012. 4 Michigan State on Jan. 27, 1979. Aaron Henry scored 11 points for Michigan State (6-1, 0-1), and Malik Hall finished with 10 points and nine boards. Michigan State looked rusty early on and a fired-up Northwestern team took advantage.

DURHAM, N.C. – Rocket Watts scored 20 points and Julius Marble had a career-high 12 to help No. Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Malik Hall added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State. BIG PICTUREMichigan State: Izzo improved his coaching record to 3-12 against the Blue Devils. “I’m going to smile and enjoy it because I haven’t done a very good job against Duke," Izzo said. POLL IMPLICATIONSMichigan State should continue to climb in the AP Top 25, while Duke might slip a bit.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo has tested positive for COVID-19. 8 Michigan State beat No. “They are able to play at a consistently higher level than us due to their depth right now," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Malik Hall added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State. “I’m going to smile and enjoy it because I haven’t done a very good job against Duke," Izzo said.

There was nobody there to see it live, but the college basketball world saw the statement Michigan State made on Tuesday night. 8 Michigan State, which entered the game with a 3-13 record against Duke in program history, recorded its first win at Cameron Indoor Stadium in four tries. Michigan State trailed by as many as 10 early in the game. Michigan State came into the game at 2-0 with wins over Eastern Michigan and Notre Dame, both coming in impressive fashion. Michigan State will play two more games over the weekend: against Detroit on Friday and Western Michigan on Sunday, both at home.