Michigan State's Jaden Akins picks perfect time for 'best game here' — the NCAA tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jaden Akins was in Tom Izzo’s mind when he woke up in his Carolina hotel room “really, really, really early” Thursday morning. So he sent him a text message.

Michigan State basketball’s Hall of Fame coach for weeks has attempted to unlock the best from his guards and pointed to Akins, Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard as the difference between a short stay in the 2024 NCAA tournament or a prolonged run in the West Region.

Akins got message (both literally and figuratively) and elevated his play (both literally and figuratively) in a 69-51 victory over No. 8 seed Mississippi State to send the Spartans into a second-round showdown with top-seeded North Carolina.

“I thought that was his best game on all facets, even passing the ball, that he's had since he's been at Michigan State,” Izzo recalled later Thursday afternoon. “It couldn't have come at a better time.”

“It was no question Jaden Akins’ best game here at Michigan State,” Izzo recalled Thursday afternoon. “It couldn't have come at a better time.”

SHAWN WINDSOR: Tom Izzo and his Spartans are at it again in March Madness

The Tar Heels (28-7) blew out 16-seed Wagner, 90-62, after Akins and the Spartans (20-14) advanced by putting together a complete team performance against the Bulldogs (21-14).

Led by an all-around effort from Akins.

Mired in a late-season shooting slump and coming off a 2-for-11 shooting showing in a Big Ten tournament loss to Purdue last Friday, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound junior wing put together a number of big plays and big shots against the other MSU. Akins finished with 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting, including three 3-pointers, while grabbing seven rebounds, plucking a steal and delivering a momentum-shifting blocked shot on Bulldogs star Josh Hubbard on a breakaway.

“I fell down after that (Purdue) game. I felt like I let my team down a little bit,” said Akins, who was shooting just 30.5% from 3-point range and averaging 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds over his previous 12 games. “But it had to be a quick memory. … I knew I had another chance to play after we saw Selection Sunday, so I was just really trying to get prepared and ready so I didn't have to feel like that again.”

MORE: Watch select NCAA tournament games with Sling TV

It included major moments in every facet of the game.

Akins opened the game with the first of 10 3-pointers by the Spartans against a Bulldogs defense that allowed opponents to make just 29.4% entering the game to rank seventh in the nation. He had eight points by halftime, including a pair of 3-pointers, while teaming with Hoggard and Walker to limiting Mississippi State’s backcourt to 4-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc.

Less than 2 minutes into the second half, as the Bulldogs’ defense started to force the Spartans into turnovers, Akins chased down star freshman Josh Hubbard and soared for a highlight-reel block from behind. That preserved a six-point Michigan State lead, and an 8-0 run followed that included a pull-up jumper from the right corner from Akins.

“I mean, if you ask me, it might have been something that we needed, if I can say that in my own selfish way,” Hoggard said of Akins. “We all know what type of player and person he is. He don't want to feel that again. I don't want him to feel that again. And I don't think he will, because of the work that he puts in and just his mindset and his confidence.

“So just to see him rebound like that when it's one-game elimination — it's not you wait until next Sunday to hear your name get called — to respond the way he did after being down on himself for a couple days after the Purdue game was just definitely big. It just goes to show you the type of person he is.”

The Bulldogs would switch to an full-court trap that defensively pestered the Spartans with Mississippi State’s long arms after that. A pair of turnovers led to a pair of Bulldog buckets, including breakout dunk for the Bulldogs’ Shakeel Moore, that helped pare Michigan State’s lead. Tolu Smith III bullied his way through Jaxon Kohler for a layup, paring MSU’s lead to 51-43 with a little over 11 minutes to play.

“We actually ended up playing quite a bit variations of different zones, especially in the second half,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “But it didn't slow them down that much.”

Given the Spartans’ struggles to close out games and blow second half leads this season, nervousness began to mount. Akins took care of that.

He caught a pass on the left wing and drove to his left, taking flight off two feet. The 5-10 Hubbard elevated with him to challenge, but Akins maneuvered his body in midair and threw down a vicious two-handed dunk that sent the bench and crowd into a frenzy. It started a 12-4 Michigan State knockout run, bookended by another 3-pointer from Akins with 6:57 to play.

Izzo called Akins’ game “three-dimensional — he defended it, he rebounded it, he shot it. And he even passed it some, so maybe four-dimensionally.”

“Jaden, him and I have had some talks,” Izzo added. “He works so hard at it. It's been a struggle. He went through a little slump, and it lasted a little longer than they wanted it to. But hitting that first one — and then his defense was really good. And then his rebounding was really good.”

Though Akins did not turn the ball over once, the Spartans committed a season-high 16 but offset that by forcing the Bulldogs into 15 that giveaways led to a 29-19 scoring edge off those turnovers. Akins also helped Michigan State to a 35-29 rebounding advantage by attacking the boards with the other guards to gobble up long loose-ball rebounds while holding Mississippi State to 6-for-27 3-point shooting.

And along with Akins, Izzo got some of the best versions of his senior backcourt mates. Walker finished with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and Hoggard had eight assists and added eight points while attacking off the dribble and finishing in traffic.

The Spartans also got another balanced contribution from their big men, with the quartet of Carson Cooper, Mady Sissoko, Jaxon Kohler and Xavier Booker combining for nine points, 14 rebounds and solid defense in the post almost the entire afternoon.

Izzo called it “one of those games where I think everybody did their job that I'm associated with.” Even knowing the microscope and spotlight goes to his guard trio.

“I think we played much better today than we've been playing. And I think it is because we got all three of those guys doing what they can do,” he said. “Not doing anything extra, but doing what they can do and what they have done. …

“It's been frustrating for everybody, but I'm proud of them. The cream rises to the top at a big moment. That says a lot.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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Next up: Tar Heels

Matchup: 9-seed Michigan State (20-14) vs. 1-seed North Carolina (28-7); West region second round.

Tipoff: Time TBA Saturday; Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina.

TV: TBA.

At stake: Winner clinches a spot in Sweet 16 in Los Angeles on March 28.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State's Jaden Akins commands starring role at NCAA tournament