Spartans' Senior Leader Requires Dominance in Final Stretch

The No. 11 Michigan State Spartans (19-4, 10-2) are staring down a gauntlet of a final stretch to conclude the regular season as they seek to earn a Big Ten regular season title. With five ranked teams in their final eight games, one veteran leader will be called upon to help lead this group.

Senior guard Jaden Akins has been one of the most consistent players for the Spartans are season, averaging a team-high 13.4 points on 42.5% shooting in just over 26 minutes per game. His production will be necessary, and he must play some of his best basketball to finish the year.

With eight regular games remaining, seven of those programs are currently ranked or were at some point during the season. Currently tied for second place in the Big Ten standing, the Spartans are yet to play four of the top six teams in the rankings, including two against the Michigan Wolverines.

It is make or break time of the season for every team at the top of the standings, but the ones that come out on top possess a season-defining player that will surge them to the mountaintop. Akins is that guy and has the ability to take over a game at any given time and lead this team to several wins.

The Farmington, Michigan native has netted 10 or more points in 19 of the 23 games this season, proving to be the No. 1 option for Coach Tom Izzo's group. His success must increase even more if the Spartans want to take down the conference's best and raise another banner in 2025.

The one piece of Akins' game that must take a leap in the final stretch is his 3-point shooting. After being a 36.4% shooter from downtown a season ago, that number has fallen to 29.8% in the same number of attempts. If he gets the 3-ball going, the Spartans will be very hard to beat.

Akins is the longest-tenured player on the roster and could be considered the top leader for this group. Big players make big plays in big moments when everything is on the line and Akins has the ice in his veins to do so.

The Spartans will host the struggling Indiana Hoosiers (14-10, 5-8) on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center. Akins must take charge of this program, dominate at a higher clip, and bring this team its first Big Ten title since 2020. He has the ability to lead the charge for the Green and White this year.

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