Last week, we started our offseason series of ranking the best Michigan men’s basketball players since the first time the Wolverines won a national championship back in 1989 to celebrate a 37-year history of Michigan basketball between titles. Today, we look at the next tier up, and it’s a significant one from our scoring model from a batch of already quality list of players in the first rendition of this series.
Michigan
Hoggard scores 23, Michigan State bounces back to beat No. 10 Illinois 88-80
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State showed another flash of its potential, rallying to beat a top-10 team for the second time this season.
A.J. Hoggard had a lot to do with that.
Hoggard had 23 points, five assists, two steals and zero turnovers to lead the Spartans over No. 10 Illinois 88-80 on Saturday.
“A.J. has been a guy that I’ve been on for four years,” coach Tom Izzo said. “You saw why. He played extremely well.”
He wasn’t alone.
Malik Hall had 22 points and Tyson Walker scored 19 for the Spartans, whose previous victory against a highly ranked team was two months ago in a 24-point win over then-No. 6 Baylor.
“We beat one of the most talented, beat teams that we’ve played,” Izzo said. “What does that do for us? A lot.”
Michigan State (15-9, 7-6 Big Ten) came back from an eight-point deficit over the last six-plus minutes to earn the win and bounce back from a 59-56 loss to Minnesota earlier this week.
“I’m not sure I was ever as upset with my team as I was the other night,” Izzo said.
After missing free throws late in the loss against the Golden Gophers on Tuesday, the Spartans took advantage at the line with Hoggard making 12 of 13 and Hall connecting on 7 of 9 free throws.
“Give them all the credit,” coach Brad Underwood said. “They were obviously the aggressor. You’re a passive, soft team when you’re fouling.”
Hoggard’s three-point play with 4:10 remaining made it 72-all, the 13th tie of the game. Shortly thereafter, Michigan State scored eight straight points to take control.
The Fighting Illini (17-6, 8-4) failed to keep a late lead for the second straight game.
“I felt like we had the game up eight,” Underwood said.
Illinois led Nebraska by 10 with 3:29 remaining on Sunday before needing to go to overtime to secure a win.
Terrance Shannon Jr. had 28 points for Illinois and Coleman Hawkins scored 14. Marcus Domask was held to 12 points — eight below what he was averaging in conference games.
BIG PICTURE
Illinois: Losing leads late in games seems to be a problem for Underwood, but he doesn’t seem concerned.
“We missed shots. Maybe that’s it,” he said when asked if there were similarities in the late-game struggles.
Michigan State: Izzo’s team may never get back to its preseason ranking of No. 4, but it is starting to play closer to its potential at the right time.
“It was the most complete game we’ve had,” Izzo said.
SAY WHAT?!
Hawkins was called for a technical for saying something to the crowd following a 3-pointer early in the first half. Michigan State’s Jaden Akins drew a technical for taunting the Illini bench after making a 3-pointer with 49 seconds before halftime.
“They just told me it was a major point of emphasis,” Underwood said.
Izzo went toward Akins in anger after the technical and was held back by Hoggard.
“Jaden Akins has caused me less problems here than any player I’ve ever had,” Izzo said. “He’s one of the best students I got. He’s probably in the gym more than anybody I’ve got.
“But when I have a huddle and say, `Look guys. They called one. They’re going to call anything the other way.’ That’s why, and those two points could’ve been very, very critical.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Illinois earned a top-10 ranking in the first poll of February for the first time since 2006 and after its only game of the week, the team will likely fall in the AP Top 25.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Hosts Michigan on Tuesday night.
Michigan State: Visits Penn State on Wednesday.
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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
No. 22 – F Morez Johnson Jr. – Score: 78.4
The first player from Michigan’s 2025-26 team has made it on the list, and it’s the bodyguard himself, Morez Johnson Jr. His stint in Ann Arbor was short, but impactful. After transferring in from Illinois, he found his way into a starting lineup with two other players 6-foot-9 or taller in Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara. The trio wreaked havoc all season long thanks to their length and athleticism in a scheme tailor-made by head coach Dusty May.
Johnson was one of the most efficient players in the country, averaging 13.1 points per game on a 62.3 percent clip. He also led the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and was commonly considered one of the best defensive players on the floor with his ability to guard all five positions. He was a Second-Team All-Big Ten and was on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team as well.
No. 21 – F Deshawn Sims – Score: 78.9
In the transition from Tommy Amaker to John Beilein, Deshawn Sims was a part of a special group that propelled the program to relevancy again. Sims was the 19th player in program history to reach 1,500 career points, and the 15th to surpass 700 rebounds. Consistency was key, as he played in 129 consecutive games over four seasons, starting 92 of them.
Everything came together for the Wolverines in the 2008-09 season when Sims and co-star Manny Harris led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade. The team underperformed in 2009-10, but Sims’ play stayed consistent.
Along with the elite company Sims established with his longevity, he was also a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game over his final two seasons.
No. 20 – F Ray Jackson – Score: 81.6
Not only did we have the introduction to the 2026 championship team, but this stretch also introduces us to the Fab Five with forward Ray Jackson, the final member of the historic 1991 class.
Jackson not only has the pedigree tied to the culture that surrounded the Fab Five and their two runner-up finishes in the NCAA Tournament, but he was also a great player. One could argue he was the most unheralded of the bunch and deserves more credit than he does. Somehow, he was only a two-time All-Big Ten performer, but he averaged 17.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his final three seasons with the program.
He ascended from the last of the Fab Five to a premier Big Ten player during his four-year career, helping guide Maurice Taylor — an honorable mention in this series — to being a member of the All-Big Ten freshman team when Jackson was a senior.
Jackson’s impact was profound, not just for his role in the Fab Five but for the transition out of it with future players who had impossible shoes to fill. The Wolverines not only stayed afloat, but remained tournament teams in the years following, which would have meant more had that era not been tarnished with “scandal” for a fraction of what is being done today in the NIL world.
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 25-23
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As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
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