Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 62-41 win at Ohio State

1. That was a good win for MSU over a bad team. And it gives MSU a chance at momentum.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State is a lost basketball team. That’s not Michigan State’s problem. The Spartans made sure the Buckeyes felt as awful about things after Sunday’s game as they did before it. And, in doing so, MSU gets a chance at some late-season momentum.

The Spartans did not put on an offensive clinic Sunday. I don’t know if that's going to happen this season. But, as Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann put it, they were "stifling" defensively and their slower offensive pace than year actually led to the Buckeyes' frustration defensively. MSU played with a defensive intensity and consistency that never allowed OSU to find a rhythm or for its crowd to enjoy the afternoon. And, offensively, they did enough — answering every Ohio State mini-surge with a bucket and stop.

MSU’s reward for this 62-41 win: Probably a three-game winning streak and a 9-6 record in the Big Ten heading into next Saturday’s date at Michigan. That’s presuming victory over Big Ten cellar-dweller Minnesota on Wednesday at Breslin Center. You and I can presume that, even if the Spartans can’t.

Suddenly, a 12-8 Big Ten season seems probable, a top-four seed and double-bye in the Big Ten tournament possible, a 6 seed or better in NCAA tournament back on the table. That’s a lot to gain from one road win over a team that had lost five straight and 10 of 11 games. But this wasn’t a gimme. Road games are never gimmes. One renowned analytics site, Kenpom.com, even predicted an MSU loss. MSU jumped 10 spots on Kenpom, up to 30, after just this win.

How good was MSU's defense Sunday, regardless of the opponent: It's been nearly a decade since since MSU held a Big Ten opponent to fewer than 42 points in a game — a 54-40 win at Northwestern on Jan. 15, 2014.

MSU, now 16-9 overall and 8-6 in the Big Ten, survived the teeth of its schedule to be in this spot. Sunday, it separated itself from an increasingly bad team. Doing so by holding the Buckeyes to 28% shooting overall (17-for-60) and 21% from beyond the arc (6-for-29), and getting a big game from Joey Hauser (22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including some big shots in the second half) and determined efforts from players like Jaden Akins (a career-high nine rebounds), even though he couldn’t buy an outside shot.

This was a good win.

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2. Walker at the point sparked MSU. That’s worth remembering.

I’m not suggesting less of A.J. Hoggard at point guard. Hoggard elevating his own game is still critically important to MSU elevating its ceiling this season.

But when Hoggard sat down for the rest of the first half after picking up his second foul with 9:11 remaining and the Spartans trailing 9-7, that’s when MSU’s offense finally got going Sunday. And it did so primarily with Tyson Walker running the show, rather than freshman Tre Holloman.

For much of this season, MSU has been disciplined in keeping Walker primarily off the ball. Not on every possession, but rarely has he been the lone point guard on the floor. That’s been changing lately — and by design, Walker said after Sunday's game — never more in Big Ten play than at Ohio State. Part of that has to do with the return of Malik Hall. MSU can put a stronger five on the floor when Hoggard is out by having Walker at the point. Some of it has been Holloman seemingly hitting a wall in the last couple weeks. It’s also understanding that Walker is a pretty good point guard, even if he’s been effective as a primary scorer off the ball, too.

MSU’s 20-2 run (more like a walk) over nearly nine minutes late in the first half was with Walker running the show. Walker immediately assisted on a 3-pointer to Joey Hauser. Then he hit a jumper himself. The offense appeared to find itself a bit.

Izzo said Holloman had one "crazy turnover," but it was the physicality of Ohio State's guards that also made Walker the sole choice when Hoggard first went out.

“Not that Tyson is big enough to handle that. But he's smart enough to handle that, where Tre was getting bopped around in there,” Izzo said.

Hoggard is still MSU’s engine. He played well in the second half. But when he’s sputtering — foul trouble or not — MSU should be quick to give Walker a go at point guard. I think they realize it.

3. Freshman thoughts – the Jaxon Kohler at Ohio State edition

When opposing teams don’t have a big man who’s a presence offensively in the paint, Jaxon Kohler is probably MSU’s best option at center, if the Spartans are going to play a center at all. We saw that play out Sunday at Ohio State, which doesn’t have a physically dominant big man. The closest player the Buckeyes have to that, Zed Key, sat the final 14 minutes of the first half with two fouls.

And Kohler took advantage. More than Mady Sissoko is capable of doing. Sissoko is MSU’s best defensive big man, even when it doesn’t always look that way. That’s not in question. But if there’s no real post or athletic interior threat, if Kohler is able to hang in there defensively, he gives MSU more on the other end. More moves, better hands, a better feel for the game.

Kohler’s first bucket of the game was a good example of this. With MSU trailing 3-0 after nearly three minutes, Kohler, who had just checked in, scored on a screen-and-roll layup. Smooth offense. Trust from A.J. Hoggard that Kohler would be there and would catch the bounce pass. An easy one-handed grab by Kohler. Offense how it’s supposed to be.

Later, Kohler had a patient move on the baseline, letting the defense fly by before laying it up on the other side of the rim. Natural offensive instincts. His third shot and sixth point came on a step-back fall-away from the free-throw line. I don’t know that MSU gets any of those six points if Kohler isn’t the center that’s in the game.

Kohler had a couple rough moments — a turnover when he let Ohio State’s length get to him and passed up on a shot, a defensive rebound he couldn’t get in the second half when Key muscled him for position and scored on the put-back, a turnover later on an errant post pass.

But overall, Kohler was the better choice Sunday — even with just those six points and one rebound in 13 minutes. In the Big Ten there aren’t a lot of these matchups. When there is — Ohio State, Penn State, the NCAA tournament perhaps — Kohler has improved to the point he’s worth a large share of the center minutes.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.