4 Takeaways: Joey Hauser erupts, Spartans down hapless Buckeyes in Columbus

The Spartans win their second in a row with a road victory at Ohio State...

Graduate senior Joey Hauser poured in six triples and Michigan State men's basketball beatdown a hapless Ohio State Buckeyes squad for a 62-41 win in Columbus.

After struggling through five losses over a seven-game stretch, the Spartans have now won two in a row and move into a fourth-place tie in the Big Ten standings. Ohio State, meanwhile, drops its six consecutive game and has lost 11 of its past 12 overall.

Here are three takeaways from the win for Michigan State:

1.) Joey Hauser leads the way

Where would this team be without Joey Hauser?

The graduate senior could have left Michigan State last offseason following a pair of underwhelming seasons in East Lansing, but Hauser chose to return for one last ride with the Spartans. He's had a really good year for MSU.

Today, in a game in which offense was hard to come by for both teams, Hauser led the way for Michigan State with 22 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting, including 6-for-9 from three-point range. The senior added eight rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.

Hauser is now averaging 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 47.8 percent shooting from the floor and 43 percent from three.

2.) Big man breakdown

Michigan State got solid minutes from both Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper off the bench today. Kohler went 3-for-3 from the floor for six points in 13 minutes. We would have liked to see the freshman grab more than one rebound, and his two turnovers in limited time was less than ideal. However, all-in-all it was a good showing for Kohler.

Cooper, meanwhile, finished with five points, a rebound and an assist in just six minutes of action. He converted both of his shot attempts in the paint, finishing through traffic and contact on the second for an 'And-1' opportunity.

Starting center Mady Sissoko had a rough afternoon however, going 1-for-3 from the floor with four rebounds, and three turnovers in 17 minutes.

3.) Mixed bag for MSU backcourt

A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins combined to go 0-for-9 from three-point range in this one, but otherwise played pretty well.

Hoggard was under control for most of the afternoon and finished with a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Walker scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and added three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Akins — who was 0-for-6 from deep — shot 4-of-5 on two-point attempts to finish with eight points. Akins led the Spartans with a career-high nine rebounds. 

4.) Good defense, or bad offense?

Ohio State was absolutely abysmal on offense in this game, and it's hard to say whether that was a credit to the Spartans' defense or just a microcosm of what has gone wrong for the Buckeyes over the last several weeks.

Regardless of the cause, the numbers speak for themselves. Michigan State held Ohio State to 28 percent shooting overall, and 6-for-29 from three-point range. The Spartans lead the Big Ten in three-point defense, which is a credit to the defensive prowess of Hoggard, Walker and Akins on the preimeter.

This is the winning formula for Michigan State, who move to 8-0 when holding opponents under 60 points. The Spartans are 8-9 in all other games.

Up Next

Michigan State (16-9, 8-6) returns home and will host last place Minnesota (7-16, 1-12) on Wednesday in a game the Spartans will be heavily favored. MSU then hits the road again next weekend, traveling to Ann Arbor for a second matchup with in-state rival Michigan (14-11, 8-6). The Spartans defeated the Wolverines, 59-53, back on Jan. 7 in East Lansing.