Tom Izzo: Michigan State's guard play, defense key to NCAA Tournament success

The Spartans have a trio of guards who will play key factors in a March Madness run...

When Michigan State squares off with Southern California in the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday, it'll be a matchup of similar styles of play.

Both the Spartans and Trojans are led by their guards and, analytically, both teams win with their defense.

After Michigan State's senior forward Malik Hall was sidelined due to a stress-related injury in his left foot, head coach Tom Izzo has utilized a three-guard starting lineup for the rest of the season, centered around A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins.

While it's a smaller lineup, the versatility of MSU's three guards is what has made the Spartans' successful.

“I think I’ll need all three of them," Izzo said when asked which guard Michigan State will lean on in the tournament. "Usually guards win NCAA games. I think, at times, I could have the best three defensive guards I’ve had in a long time.”

The key is getting consistently good defense from Hoggard, Walker and Akins. If the Spartans can get all three of those guys defending at a high level all at once, then Michigan State becomes a team that can shut down any opposing backcourt.

“Jaden Akins can guard anybody," Izzo said. "Tyson Walker, even though he’s small, is really good defensively. And A.J., at times, I thought could be the Defensive Player of the Year in our league."

Hoggard struggled mightily during Michigan State's loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. The junior displayed a lack of focus and effort through much of the game that is unacceptable for a Tom Izzo-coached point guard.

Yet, the previous four games were some of the best in Hoggard's career when he averaged 17.5 points, 8.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, one steal and 2.3 turnovers per game to close the regular season.

"A.J. is still as big a key as anybody," Izzo said of his point guard. “I can win games [with an average point guard], but you can’t win championships, you can’t win big, you can’t go deep into a tournament unless your [point guard] is a key. I feel good about where he is right now."

Hoggard has also shown the kind of impact he can make on the defensive end of the floor. When Michigan State traveled to Penn State way back on Dec. 7, Hoggard limited All-Big Ten guard Jalen Pickett to 5-of-14 shooting from the floor.

“You’ve seen how well Pickett played [this season]," Izzo said. "I think everybody forgets A.J. did an unbelievable job up there and we beat them pretty good early in the year, and it was a lot because of A.J."

Izzo said that Southern Cal utilizes 6-foot-9 wing Drew Peterson in a similar way that Penn State uses Pickett, forcing defensive switches from opponents that lead to advantages for the Trojans.

"Peterson is a long kid.," Izzo said. "He’s got Larry Bird qualities. He’s really a good passer. He can shoot the ball, but he’s really a good passer and they put him in a lot of mismatches.”

Peterson does a little bit of everything for USC. He is averaging 14 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field. Michigan State will likely utilize Hoggard and senior forward Malik Hall in defending him.

Akins and Walker will be tasked with defending All-Pac 12 guard Boogie Ellis, who leads the Trojans in scoring and 3-point percentage (39.2). Ellis is averaging 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game.

“They’ve got a dynamic guard who is All-Pac 12 in Ellis that can get his shot from anywhere and shoot it from anywhere," Izzo said of USC. “They’ve got guys who are very capable that have size and strength.”

Yet, like Michigan State earlier this season, the Trojans biggest strength is what they do to opposing teams on the defensive end.

“It’s a different team than we’ve played because of their wings. They’ve got different guys that can shoot it, and yet their best attribute right now, analytically, is their defense. They’ve held teams to under 40%, which is very, very good," Izzo said.

Peterson averages 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Ellis is a good on-ball defender as well, averaging 1.4 steals per game. USC sophomore Kobe Johnson averages 2.2 steal per game, while starting forward Joshua Morgan is a rim-protector who averages 2.3 blocks per game.

The Spartans spent the majority of the 2022-23 season as one of the best defensive teams in Big Ten, and the country. A lot of that is due to the amount of versatile defenders Michigan State has in Hall, Hoggard, Walker and Akins.

Hall is still working through some health concerns, which will play a big factor for MSU. That also puts more pressure on Izzo's three guards to be at their best this weekend.

“Our guards have to do a good job," Izzo said. "Do I think they will? I do. But I don’t think it will just take one. I think it will take a group of them...Over the season, all three of them have played well enough defensively that they could really help carry us. It’s now, can they do it collectively? And if they do it collectively then you go from good to great, and that’s what we’re looking to do.”