Spartans' Akins Makes History in Sunday's Win Over Northwestern
The No. 16 Michigan State Spartans (14-2) picked up another clutch win on the road, taking down the Northwestern Wildcats (10-6) by a score of 78-68. Spartan star senior Jaden Akins made history in the ballgame, joining an illustrious group of players in program history.
With a team-high 14 points, Akins surpassed the 1000-point mark for his career, putting him in an exclusive club of Spartan greats that have stuck around long enough with consistent production to reach that mark. His 11th point of the night would be the one to reach the historic mark.
The four-year Spartan star now joins former teammates AJ Hoggard, Malik Hall, and Tyson Walker in the 1000-point club along with many other Spartan legends to do so before him. The accolade says a lot about Akins' commitment to the program and skill that has been prevalent for the past four years.
In this age of college basketball, it is extremely easy for players to pick up and leave via the transfer portal after a rough season. The Spartans had a down year a season ago, finishing 20-15 (10-10 in conference) and being bounced in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the struggles, the Farmington, Mich. native never wavered from his commitment to the Spartan program. He has fought through the fire of multiple underwhelming seasons and is now reaping the benefits of trusting the process and staying consistent in East Lansing.
With 15 more regular season games to play and some postseason action to be expected, Akins will have a chance to continue his impressive career. He is on pace to score more than 400 points this season which would be a career-high.
Being extremely unlikely, Akins would need another 715 points this season to crack the top 10 in career points in program history. He has still put together one of the more impressive Spartan careers since Cassius Winston took over in East Lansing from 2016-20.
Akins is having the best season of his career by far, averaging a career-high and team-high 14.1 points per game. He has been the go-to guy all season long for a Spartan team that has Big Ten title and Final Four aspirations. Akins will be the catalyst to get them there as the biggest key to victory.
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