Michigan State's A.J. Hoggard Presents Challenge for Purdue Basketball
The last time Purdue basketball matched up with Michigan State, A.J. Hoggard led the Spartans in a tight contest during last year's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
Hoggard notched a team-high 17 points while adding 10 assists and four rebounds, but the Boilermakers came out on top in a narrow 75-70 victory.
This season, Hoggard is back to doing a little bit of everything for Michigan State. He's averaging 12.5 points while leading the team with 6.2 assists per game. Purdue's backcourt will have its hands full with the junior guard in Monday's road matchup at the Breslin Center.
"Hoggard is a really tough cover," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "He had his way in the Big Ten Tournament with us, he was getting deep on penetration. He's a really, really good player."
At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Hoggard draws comparisons to Penn State's fifth-year senior guard Jalen Pickett, who put up 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a loss to Purdue on Jan. 8.
Pickett is an exceptional offensive talent in the conference who isn't afraid to back down his defender to survey the floor. Hoggard also tends to operate in the paint and uses his physicality to open the door for scoring opportunities.
Hoggard hasn't shown much of a perimeter presence during the 2022-23 season, shooting just 26.3 percent from the 3-point line. However, he distributes the ball to a Spartan offense that boasts three players hitting on at least 40 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
As a team, Michigan State ranks fourth in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage. Hoggard is one of the catalysts that draws attention to the basket to set up high-percentage shots.
"They're both quality players, but they're a little different," Painter said. "I would say Pickett is a guy that's going to find people just like Hoggard is. You know, Hoggard can just bounce off of you, spin off of you and get in that paint and get deep."
Hoggard has found a rhythm over the last week, scoring double figures in each of the last three matchups, including a 20-point performance on Friday night in a loss to Illinois on the road. He was 8-of-16 from the field in 30 minutes on the floor.
After a two-game road trip, Hoggard will look to lead Michigan State to a win on their home court. The Spartans are 7-1 at the Breslin Center so far this season, with its only loss coming at the hands of Northwestern.
Michigan State owns a 12-5 overall record, including a 4-2 mark in the conference. Purdue sits atop the league standings with just one loss on the season. Hoggard and the Spartans are the next set of hurdles standing in the way.
"I think that's what gets you, is Hoggard has such a good build to him," Painter said. "So when he gets deep, now he can make those little turnaround, in-between hooks."
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.