Michigan State basketball hosts Ohio State late on Sunday afternoon. Will the Spartans get back on track with a win?
The Spartans are ready to put the ugly 78-71 loss to Iowa behind them as the Ohio State Buckeyes come to East Lansing Sunday afternoon. I have a feeling we’re in for a treat as this Michigan State basketball team will be fired up and ready to go after the last game.
That being said, it’s time to get bold as I think we’re about to witness an offensive masterpiece from MSU.
1. Two Spartans off the bench score double figures
Michigan State is still looking for some more consistency across the board as the season comes to an end. Tyson Walker has been consistent all year and Malik Hall has been recently, but the Spartans need more from their role players.
It’s not very common for MSU’s guys off the bench to hit double figures, but that doesn’t mean none of them can. Tre Holloman is a likely candidate and Jaxon Kohler could get it going down low. Even Coen Carr and Xavier Booker could hit double figures if they see extended minutes.
However, the two most likely to hit double figures off the bench in my opinion are Holloman and Kohler, and that’s who I think will get there on Sunday.
2. Michigan State wins by at least 20
Michigan State is around a 7-point favorite in this game on most sportsbooks. So for them to end up winning by 20 would be no small feat.
The Spartans have won by at least 20 points seven times this year, but only one was against a Big Ten team. Conversely, Ohio State has only lost by more than 20 points only once this season. Those stats show this will be difficult to accomplish.
But as I already mentioned, I think Tom Izzo will have his guys ready to go. They’re going to be angry after the Iowa loss and will take that anger out on the Buckeyes. So I predict Michigan State to win this game by 23 points.
3. Spartans will have at least 7 blocks
Not only will MSU’s offense be clicking, but its defense will as well. The Spartans aren’t the best shot-blocking team in the country, but they aren’t terrible either. Michigan State averages 3.9 blocks per game this season which is No. 96 in the country.
The thing holding MSU back is that it doesn’t have a premier shot blocker on the team. In fact, nobody even averages one block per game on this team. Carson Cooper is the closest at 0.9 blocks per game.
To be honest, I don’t have any data to suggest this is a likely prediction. This is more of a gut feeling that Michigan State will be locked in on both sides of the floor after their last game.
Michigan State needs to win this game. Another home loss to a below-average team would not be good for their NCAA Tournament resume. But Izzo has a way of figuring things out this time of year, and I think he’ll do just that once again.
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