1. Jase Richardson should be in the discussion for Big Ten freshman of the year
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Jase Richardson might not be the Big Ten’s most acclaimed freshman in a loaded class, but, after his last three weeks, he absolutely belongs in the conversation for Big Ten freshman of the year. If only to talk it out. He’s earned that much.
Richardson is the best player on what’s looking more and more like the best team in the Big Ten. Michigan State wouldn’t be close to closing in on a Big Ten championship without him. That’s worth something. In the Spartans’ 58-55 win at Maryland, Richardson was the best freshman on the floor. That, too, is worth something, considering Terrapins freshman big man Derik Queen is most likely to win the award. And is deserving. If you couple team success with most consistently being an individual force over two-plus months of Big Ten play, Queen is the guy.
Richardson is making a late run at it.
You’ll find 2025 NBA mock drafts with four Big Ten freshmen projected in the top 10 — Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis and Maryland’s Queen. But this isn’t an award based on NBA projection (though Richardson is climbing there, too). Nor should it be an award that doesn’t factor in a player’s impact on winning. Do I think Harper and Bailey would win a Big Ten title if they were playing at MSU? I surely do. They’d fit nicely with “strength in numbers.” Would Jakucionis, with less on his plate, be more efficient at MSU? Very likely. But winning and producing in high-pressure situations is part of the equation for most individual awards.
Harper and Bailey are leading a 14-14 Rutgers team that’s got 10 Big Ten losses. Jakucionis has been as inconsistent and inefficient as he has been brilliant, and the Illini’s results have reflected it. It’s too bad that Illinois and Rutgers didn’t put more seasoned talent and leadership around these guys. But they didn’t.
It’s not that a great freshman on a mediocre team shouldn’t win the award. It’s that a great freshman on a mediocre team shouldn’t win the award when you have options like Richardson and Queen.
Both have undoubtedly benefited from having stronger rosters around them. They’ve also elevated those rosters significantly.
In Big Ten games, Queen is averaging 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, scoring at least 24 points five times, including three times during the Terrapins’ eight wins in nine games leading into Wednesday night. He had 26 in a narrow loss at Purdue, 25 in a win at Illinois, 29 against Rutgers, 24 against Nebraska. He’s a wonderfully skilled offensive talent both in the post and facing up. He’s a much better player than MSU made him look — he had 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting Wednesday — largely because of the Spartans’ “elite” pick-and-roll defense, as Maryland coach Kevin Willard described it (More on that below.).
Richardson’s case is much more recent and, while he had a number of efficient and productive outings through January, his argument begins with 29 points in a dazzling performance (and perhaps season-saving second half) against Oregon on Feb. 8. He’s scored in double figures in every game since, including carrying MSU much of the night last Friday at Michigan — where he finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three steals — before being MSU’s primary weapon again Wednesday, with 15 points and eight rebounds on a night no other Spartan scored in double figures.
Richardson’s role has changed. He’s the catalyst now. Everyone knows it. He’s gone from playing 22 minutes per night to 33 minutes in four of MSU’s last six games.
“I know when I’m aggressive, it opens up a lot for everybody else,” Richardson said in the locker room Wednesday night.
“His role is to get buckets, man,” MSU junior guard Tre Holloman said after hitting the game-winning half-court shot. “We trust him. He has been perfect for us.”
And the way MSU slowly brought Richardson along has been perfect, too. Maybe he’s fresher late in the year because he wasn’t leaned on too heavily early. He did hit what appeared to be a freshman wall for a little while. But he’s busted through that now and then some.
It’s probably too late for Richardson to win Big Ten freshman of the year. Queen has done a lot. Others will steal votes based on individual numbers or early momentum. But if Richardson puts up a couple more headliner performances in marquee games and the Spartans win this title outright, it’s likely that no other freshman will have had a better second half of Big Ten play and, certainly, none of his peers will have led their teams to such heights.
That’s worth considering.
2. A big night for MSU’s big fellas
Jaxon Kohler might never get a better compliment about his game than he did from Maryland coach Kevin Willard thinking Kohler is 7-feet tall.
“Kohler is 7-foot, (Szymon) Zapala is 7-foot, Carson Cooper is 7-foot, Xavier Booker is 7-foot and they all play like 22 minutes a game,” Willard said, in explaining why Derik Queen and Maryland’s offense struggled so much against MSU.
The others are 7-feet or an inch from it. Kohler is actually a few inches shorter. But he played like a 7-footer Wednesday. He had eight rebounds in 18 minutes, his last board becoming a quick outlet pass to Tre Holloman for the game-winning half-court shot.
Izzo thought that how his big men defended Maryland’s Queen and Julian Reese was the difference in the game. Willard didn’t disagree.
“As good as (Queen) is, he’s still a freshman that hasn’t gone up against that,” Willard said. “ … I just think the size and physicality — we haven’t seen that in quite a while. And I thought their big guys did a really good job of being physical with him at the point of contact.”
What a difference a year makes. MSU’s big guys haven’t been perfect this season. But when they’ve given up big numbers, it’s usually been by foul trouble or by choice — because MSU has left a post matchup on an island against an opposing star while deciding to lock in on other matchups.
I thought Maryland would cause MSU trouble inside. MSU’s bigs were up for it, including Zapala who fit the matchup and tallied seven points and six rebounds (three offensive) in 20 minutes.
Here’s more from Willard:
“What makes Michigan State so tough? It’s unlike probably any team we’ll see for the rest of year or maybe in the future — their pick-and-roll defense is so good because they constantly have fresh big guys on the court. He’s playing five big guys minutes (including Coen Carr). … Where they wear you down is that their pick-and-roll defense is elite, because everyone on the court is really, really fresh at all times. So we’ll go back and look at it and change some things if we play them again.
“Going up against a Tom Izzo team for the first time is a unique, unique thing. And the only guy that’s played against Tom was (Reese). And I think they finally started realizing we’re just not going to be able come down, run a pick-and-roll and and try to (do our thing). It’s a learning experience.”
3. Fears and Booker and the one 3 that makes the difference
Jeremy Fears’ mission this offseason should be to shoot a zillion 3-pointers and jump shots and floaters from every angle. For the rest of this season, though, he’s just got to shoot with confidence. Teams are going to dare him to let it fly.
I think he’s done a pretty good job lately of picking when to probe, when to drive and when the space between him and the nearest defender is just so insulting he’s got to shoot.
He made two 3s at Michigan last Friday — one big bank shot late. And he made the only 3 he took Wednesday, after being left alone on the left wing with 3:10 to play. He didn’t hesitate. His made triple try gave the Spartans a 55-48 lead in a game they probably don’t win otherwise.
Fears is actually shooting 39% from long range on the season, though that’s just 11-for-28. He’s 5-for-12 since the beginning of February. Teams are going to keep giving him those shots. He’s done well not to let it affect his confidence in some big moments recently.
Xavier Booker, who hit massive first-half 3s at Michigan and Illinois, hit one in the second half Wednesday, putting the Spartans ahead 35-30.
Booker is far from a complete player. To his credit, he hasn’t let inconsistent playing time mess with his focus or faith in himself when MSU has needed him to hit an outside shot. Nor has he been forcing shots. Booker, who’s made 5 of his last 11 3s spanning six games, hasn’t taken more than two in a single game during MSU’s four-game winning streak. All good shots. A lot of makes.
“We’re in a lot of close games,” Booker said Wednesday. “Forcing shots isn’t good for the team.”
MSU has a lot of guys right now thinking about the team and a common goal. That’s a good place to be in late February. So is 23-5 and atop the Big Ten at 14-3.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball: Is Jase Richardson the Big Ten’s freshman of the year?
