Five Takeaways: Michigan State survives frantic final possession to beat Iowa

Talk about a heart-stopper!

Michigan State survived a frantic final possession against Iowa on Thursday night in a 63-61 win at the Breslin Center. The Hawkeyes got two shot attempts from three-point range, and a wild third attempt inside the arc, but each shot bounced away and the Spartans held on for a much-needed win.

Here are five takeaways from an exciting Big Ten game in East Lansing:

1.) Malik Hall is back!

After missing each of the last three games, Malik Hall returned to action tonight against the Hawkeyes and made an immediate impact for MSU.

Hall scored 11 points in his return, shooting 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the foul line. The junior added three rebounds and four assists for the Spartans. Hall also played well defensively, as we've come to expect, and Michigan State was plus-13 with him on the floor — the best mark of any Spartan tonight

Those numbers aside, perhaps the most welcome sight that Hall provided tonight was a thunderous dunk over Iowa's Filip Rebraca with five minutes left in the first half. Hall planted and jumped off his left ankle and foot — the one which was injured — and had no problem elevating for the slam. You can view the replay below.

MALIK HALL IS BACK!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 🙌 💥 @iammalikhall x @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/vWEBQBLrX6
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 27, 2023

2.) Mady Sissoko — best game of his season?

After getting off to an excellent start this season, junior center Mady Sissoko has kind of disappeared in recent weeks. However, with freshmen Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper both struggling defensively against the Hawkeyes, the Spartans needed Sissoko to step up big tonight, and the junior did just that.

Sissoko had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while adding two blocks and a steal defensively. The junior had his own struggles at times defending Iowa's bigs, but Sissoko was the go-to option for head coach Tom Izzo tonight and he rewarded his head coach.

3.) Hoggard and Walker...yikes

Michigan State has one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten and maybe the country, but the duo of A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker had a forgettable night.

Hoggard had a particularly rough night, as he shot just 3-for-12 from the floor and missed a free throw inside 30 seconds that gave Iowa a chance to tie or take the lead on that last possession. The junior finished with seven points, three rebounds, one assist and three turnovers, though he did add four steals.

Walker didn't shoot the ball particularly well either, knock down just 4-of-14 attempts on the night. The senior finished with 10 points and handed out five assists.

4.) Jaden Akins is playing really good basketball

Jaden Akins has played the best basketball in his young career over the past couple weeks, and that continued tonight. The sophomore scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range.

Akins stuffed the stat sheet in other areas as well with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Izzo said earlier this week that Akins is back to 100 percent healthy, and it has definitely showed. The sophomore has the most upside of any player on this Spartans' roster and it will be exciting to see what Akins ceiling looks like as he continues to improve.

5.) Have a seat, underclassmen...

Michigan State entered this game having lost three of its last four games, and has back-to-back road games on deck following tonight. With that said, this was likely a must-win game for the Spartans to have any chance of remaining in the race for a Big Ten title.

Izzo certainly knew the weight this game against Iowa carried, and he relied on Akins and his upperclassmen to get the job done. Sophomore Pierre Brooks played just 12 minutes, while freshmen Tre Holloman (7), Jaxon Kohler (7) and Carson Cooper (3) each played less than 10 minutes.

This is what Hall's return allows. With the senior back in the lineup, and providing 11 points on the bench, Izzo was able to ride his most experienced players to a crucial victory.

Up Next

We mentioned this above, but Michigan State faces back-to-back road games next, and they'll come against the current leaders in the Big Ten Conference.

First, the Spartans head to West Lafayette for a date with No. 1 Purdue (19-1, 8-1) on Sunday. Then Michigan State will enjoy a five-day break between games before headed to Piscataway for a matchup against Rutgers (14-6, 6-3).