Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 84-78 win over Ohio State in its regular-season finale

1. Continued momentum for an MSU team that looks like a tough out in the postseason

EAST LANSING – Maybe everything Michigan State’s basketball team has endured late in games made a difference Saturday.

I wouldn’t say the Spartans finished Saturday’s 84-78 win over Ohio State with conviction. But they finished it. And they looked like a team late that had learned some things, with a clear understanding that no game is over until it’s over.

On a senior day like none other — because two of the Spartans’ key seniors might be back for an extra year next season — MSU played with poise when it mattered, kept shooting from 3-point land at an incredible clip (making 12 of 20 3s) and kept looking like a team that has a chance to be interesting over the coming weeks.

Beating this Ohio State at home on the final weekend of the regular season, on its own, isn’t notable. But this felt like continued momentum — with strong performances from point guard A.J. Hoggard (23 points, 9-for-11 free throws, seven assists, one turnover), Tyson Walker (15 points and some incredibly important buckets), Joey Hauser (16 points, 3-for-3 from deep, a huge bucket late) and Jaden Akins (more below).

During the postgame senior day ceremonies, Tom Izzo led the crowd in a chant of “One more year!” hoping Walker and Hall will decided to run it back and use their extra year of eligibility next season, an extra year afforded by the pandemic. I’ll be surprised if Hall doesn’t. Walker very well might, as well.

That team next season, given the possible returners and the recruiting class that’s coming in, could be something — a true contender.

For most of this season, this team hasn’t felt like that. But this MSU team is playing just well enough lately, even in a couple recent defeats, even with a slip in its defense, to wonder exactly what’s ahead in the postseason.

I think Izzo truly believes he’s got a squad that can make a run. We’ll see. They certainly look like a tough out right now.

“I do think we are (capable),” Izzo said, after his team finished the regular season 19-11 overall and 11-8 in Big Ten play. “I don't think we're the best team I've had. I don't think we're great. But I think we're coming into our own.

“You can be good and it comes down to matchups in these tournaments. Could be the Big Ten tournament, wrong matchup. It could be the NCAA tournament, that stuff happens. But our guard play has been better and better. And you usually need good guard play (and) you need to be able to defend to win in any kind of tournament scenario.”

2. The Jaden Akins thing that’s happening looks real

At a certain point, this just is who Jaden Akins is now — a double-digit scorer, an efficient 3-point shooter, with a knack for the timely bucket. He was again Saturday, his third straight game in this expanding role offensively, his third straight game making three or more 3-pointers and more than half of his long-range shots, hitting 12 of 17 3s during that stretch.

He won’t stay this hot, but Akins’ story recently is not one only told through his numbers. Since he returned from his foot injury for a second time at the beginning of December, he’s been a 47% 3-point shooter anyway. So the shooting isn’t new, even if this is as hot as he’s ever been.

Where you see the difference is in his confidence, in how badly he wants the ball, the minutes he’s playing, the issues he’s causing for opposing defenses and what he’s doing for MSU’s offense — even when he doesn’t get the ball.

For example: On one second-half possession Saturday, as Ohio State continued to hang around, Tyson Walker called for the screen from Mady Sissoko, dribbled around it toward the basket and flung a pass out to Joey Hauser in the left corner. The Buckeyes were toast defensively — one defender caught in a conundrum between guarding Hauser or Akins on the left wing. Hauser took and made the 3. He could have swung it to Akins, who would have had an open look, too.

A few possessions later, with the Buckeyes still too close for comfort, Akins caught and let it fly from the right corner, putting the Spartans up 10, just as things were feeling uneasy. Another timely 3.

Akins’ emergence has made the Spartans a tough cover recently. It’s no coincidence that MSU, after not reaching the 80-point mark in its first 15 Big Ten games, has done so in four straight. A lot of that is what he’s added of late.

FROM WEDNESDAY: Couch: Michigan State's offense is different when Jaden Akins is playing like this

3. MSU’s Big Ten tournament picture is clear, though far from decided.

MSU’s win over Ohio State did very little to clear up the Spartans’ Big Ten tournament picture — other than that they can no longer be any lower than the 7 seed. That keeps them from a potential quarterfinal matchup against top-seed Purdue.

Seeds 3 through 7, though, remain a possibility, with a top-four seed coming with a double bye to Friday’s quarterfinals next week in Chicago. The rest of the Big Ten finishes Sunday, with four of the games having a significant impact..For MSU (11-8 Big Ten) to wind up with a double bye, it needs at least three of the following to happen:

Maryland (11-8) loses at Penn State (noon on the Big Ten Network).

Illinois (11-8) loses at Purdue (12:30 p.m. on FOX).

Iowa (11-8) falls at home to Nebraska (2 p.m., BTN).

Northwestern (11-8) loses at Rutgers (7:30 p.m. BTN).

The Michigan-Indiana game in Bloomington is irrelevant, because both teams are 11-8 and one will finish ahead of MSU and one below.

The Rutgers’ loss at Minnesota on Thursday night — karma, some might say, after being unwilling to move the game to Tuesday so the Spartans and Gophers could play their makeup game Thursday night — gave MSU a much better shot at a top-four seed, because MSU no longer needs Iowa to lose at home to Nebraska, which is unlikely. All the other needed results are about 50-50 at worst.

It’s pretty easy math — with no tie-breakers impacting the Spartans, since they’ve played one less game than every team near them in the standings. If all four of the aforementioned 11-win teams win Sunday, MSU is the 7 seed, playing the 10 seed at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Thursday.

If three of those 11-win teams win, MSU is the 6 seed, playing the winner of the No. 11 and 14 seeds at 9 p.m. (ET) Thursday.

If two of those teams win, MSU is the 5, facing the 12/13 winner at 2:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday.

If just one of them wins, MSU is the 4 seed, not playing until 2:30 (ET) Friday.

If they all lose, the Spartans are the 3 seed, tipping off about 9 p.m. (ET) on Friday.

“We dug ourselves our own hole (by losing) at Iowa (or) we already would have been in that (top four),” Izzo said. “ … I mean, we're coming in the back door kind of. But if we play on Thursday, we're going to be fired up to play on Thursday. If we get to (start on) Friday, we’re going to be excited about that. I think the best thing is we've proven, in playing arguably one of the toughest schedules in the league, that we can play with anybody. Unfortunately, a lot of teams can play with us.”

RELATED: Couch: Steven Izzo makes his mark on MSU basketball as he and his dad make up for lost time

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

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State basketball beats Ohio State: 3 quick takes