Spartans Need Richardson to Stay Hot

Michigan State freshman guard Jase Richardson has caught fire.

Michigan State's Jase Richardson steals the ball from Purdue during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans once again sit atop the Big Ten conference as they took down their in-state rivals, the Michigan Wolverines. One trend that has been building for MSU in its last five games has been consistency, and freshman guard Jase Richardson might be the definition.

Once again, Richardson found his way into the starting five and as he has continued to do, he shined. Dropping 21 points for the Spartans against the Wolverines, the freshman guard took over once again on offense when MSU needed it the most.

This has been a trend that has been building since Richardson scored a career -high 29 points against the Oregon Ducks. In his last five games with the Spartans, he has averaged 17.2 points per game. For the longest time senior Jaden Akins was leading the squad, but Richardson is starting to give him a run for his money.

As the Big Ten season begins the wind down, MSU cannot afford to let its foot off of the gas. In fact, if the Spartans with to hold onto their number one placement until the conclusion of the season, Richardson will need to keep doing what he does before and during game day.

Richardson has skyrocketed into the second-place position behind Akins for leading scorer for the Spartans, and that is only a good sign for the future. Richardson continues to prove why he shouldn't be coming off the bench, as Coach Tom Izzo has made the right calls when it comes to Richardson's playing time.

Draining seven of 12 field goal shots along with 50% 3-point shooting, six rebounds and three steals, Richardson was doing it all for MSU in Ann Arbor. After the Spartans' victory over their rivals, they now sit at .500 when facing Michigan's basketball squad in its home court.

The Spartans still have work that needs to be done, as they will be seeing the Wolverines again in the final game of the season. While MSU took round one in Ann Arbor, Michigan is not a team to sleep on, even if they are coming into the Spartans' hometown.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan NationWHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.