Spartans

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo gazed into the crowd, tears welling in his eyes, moments before his team played its first home game since a mass shooting on campus killed three students and hospitalized five students.
&ldquo;It was one of those moments where I just said, `I&rsquo;m a lucky guy,&lsquo;&rdquo; Izzo recalled as his voice cracked with emotion. &ldquo;I said to myself, `I hope we can come through for you.&rsquo;&rdquo;
The Spartans did.
Tyson Walker shook off a slow start to score 23 points and lifted Michigan State to an 80-65 win over No. 17 Indiana on Tuesday night, eight days after a mass shooting ended lives, endangered others and frightened an entire community.
&ldquo;It was definitely a emotional,&rdquo; Walker said. &ldquo;Everybody was involved in some way because everybody&rsquo;s on campus. So, it was definitely good to go out there and play well for everybody.&rdquo;
The Spartans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) surged into the lead late in the first half after Walker started making 3-pointers following an 0-for-4 start from the field and were ahead by double digits for much of the second half.
&ldquo;Izzo&rsquo;s teams play great. They play hard,&rdquo; Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. &ldquo;They force you to play hard. If you don&rsquo;t meet that, you&rsquo;re going to lose.&rdquo;
The Hoosiers (19-9, 10-7) relied heavily on Trayce Jackson-Davis, as usual, and he had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Michigan State had its previous home game against Minnesota postponed after the shootings and resumed playing Saturday night in a loss to rival Michigan on the road.
The victims, survivors and first responders from last week&rsquo;s shootings were recognized with pregame remarks. There was also a moment of silence that was broken by the Michigan State band playing &ldquo;MSU Shadows,&rdquo; when Izzo looked left, right, high and low at fans in the stands.
&ldquo;I wish I could have ran up to that top row and thank the people that were there,&rdquo; Izzo said.
In the front row of the student section, white shirts were placed on eight seats to save them for the eight students shot on campus. The funeral for the last of the three students killed was earlier Tuesday.
The Spartans, after the emotional pregame, got off to a sluggish start before turning the game around with 3-pointers, defense and rebounding.
Michigan State&rsquo;s A.J. Hoggard had three turnovers early in the game, then didn&rsquo;t have another turnover and finished with 22 points and five assists. Joey Hauser and Malik Hall each scored 10 points for the Spartans, who have won three of their last four games.
Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 16 and Trey Galloway had 11 points for the Hoosiers.
BIG PICTURE
Indiana: The Hoosiers, who have lost two of their last three games, may have some work to do to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
Michigan State: After collapsing late against Michigan and returning to play at home on an emotional campus, Izzo&rsquo;s team earned a much-needed win.
HE SAID IT
&ldquo;As the game wore on, they smashed us and I don&rsquo;t like that,&rdquo; Woodson said.
IN THE FACE
Midway through the second half, Michigan State&rsquo;s Mady Sissoko blocked Malik Reneau&rsquo;s shot and the ball hit Kaleb Banks in the head so hard that he staggered and fell to the court.
BRIDGES SAYS
Former Michigan State star Miles Bridges sat behind the team&rsquo;s bench and said he may be back in the NBA soon, returning to play for the Charlotte Hornets.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long process,&rdquo; Bridges told The Associated Press at halftime. &ldquo;I might be back in March.&rdquo;
Bridges has not played this season while under an NBA investigation. He pleaded no contest three months ago to a felony count of injuring a child&rsquo;s parent, agreeing to do so in exchange for three years probation and no jail time.
INJURY REPORT
Michigan State&rsquo;s Carson Cooper missed the game after Izzo said the freshman center sprained his ankle during practice on Monday. Indiana senior guard Xavier Johnson is still out with a foot injury.
UP NEXT
Indiana: Plays rival and fifth-ranked Purdue on the road Saturday night.
Michigan State: Travels to play Iowa on Saturday.

The Spartans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) surged into the lead late in the first half after Walker started making threes following an 0-for-4 start.

Michigan State tops Indiana in first home game since shootings

When I was asked a few months ago about Dinos Trigonis and his Pangos events, I said that it is an absolute necessity for my scouting process, as it gives me the opportunity to get an up-close look at the top high school players in the country. Trigonis does a terrific job putting together showcase events and runs a ton of them now, with the Pangos All-American Camp being the best of them all. I&rsquo;ll be in attendance this year in Las Vegas, and I have the event penciled into my schedule every year.
Not only did I attend the Pangos All-American Camp in June, but I flew to Las Vegas last Sunday morning for the final day of the Pangos All-American Festival to check out Dinos&rsquo; latest showcase event.&nbsp;
It was a quick in-and-out trip for me, but it proved to be fruitful, nonetheless. I was able to get an updated look at some top-rated high school prospects that I already knew like Mookie Cook, Ernest Udeh, Jordan Walsh and Kijani Wright among others. I was also able to see some impressive players that I did not know very well, such as Fabio Basili, Sebastian Mack and Mark Mitchell, just to name a few.
But even though there was an abundance of talent, one player stole the show. Jaxon Kohler of the West team scored 53 points and grabbed 19 rebounds while leading his team to a championship win, and earned MVP honors as a result.
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Prior to Sunday, I had seen Kohler play a number of times in the spring with Team Strive for Greatness, which featured Amari Bailey, arguably the top player in the class of 2022. As an NBA Draft Analyst, I naturally prioritized watching Bailey&rsquo;s team when putting together my scouting schedule. As a result, I was able to become familiar with Kohler, who has not been considered a sure-fire NBA player, like Bailey. My initial thoughts about Kohler were that as a 6-foot-9, 250-pound big man, he was a capable low-post scorer, but was slow and lacked overall athleticism. All in all, I thought he was a nice player &mdash; but from an NBA standpoint, he didn&rsquo;t show me anything to write home about. Not until Sunday, that is...
At the Pangos All-American Festival, I began to understand just how polished Kohler is on the offensive end. He showed an uncanny ability to score on the block, utilizing incredible footwork (an unstoppable drop-step spin move, specifically), great hands and a soft touch over either shoulder. When facing up, he regularly used a mechanical pump fake that worked like a charm nearly every time he used it. He also showed promise to be able to knock down an open shot from the outside. In addition to his scoring abilities, he also utilized his size, motor and physicality to rebound at a high rate.
Needless to say, I was impressed.
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There&rsquo;s a lot to like about Jaxson Kohler as a prospect, but I do still have questions about him as a long-term pro.&nbsp;
The NBA has become increasingly faster and more spread out each year; traditional big men that lack speed and quickness are scrutinized heavily. If and when his time comes, there will undoubtedly be questions circulating among NBA talent evaluators about how well Kohler will translate to the modern-day NBA. The correlation between Kohler&rsquo;s physical development and his long-term success is significant, as strength and conditioning are the keys to him accomplishing his goals, in my opinion. I&rsquo;d suggest that Kohler use Kevin Love and his history with developing and maintaining his body as sources of motivation.
After making stops at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada and Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, Kohler is set to play at Southern California Academy, in Los Angeles, for his upcoming senior season.&nbsp;
After seeing Kohler&rsquo;s breakout game at the Pangos All-American Festival, one thing is certain, I&rsquo;ll be watching him closely moving forward.

Matt Babcock shares his insights of Jaxon Kohler's performance at the Pangos All-American Festival and his prospects as a pro.