Minnesota will host Michigan State basketball on Tuesday night with a lot on the line. Will the Spartans stay hot?
Michigan State basketball is back in action on Tuesday night on the road against Minnesota. The Spartans have already beaten the Gophers once this season 76-66 and are looking to get the sweep.
The Spartans haven’t had the best luck on the road this year, but I’m hopeful that will change.
If these three bold predictions come true, Michigan State will likely be coming home with its sixth win in seven games.
1. Tre Holloman scores 12 points
This would be an awesome game for Tre Holloman to play well in. The Spartans and Gophers didn’t play last season in Minnesota, so this is Holloman’s first trip back to Minneapolis. He is from Minneapolis so this is his first homecoming game since coming to Michigan State. So why not predict him to play well?
Holloman is more than capable of scoring 12 points, but it’s a stretch to predict that in any one game. Next year, he’ll regularly be scoring this much, but not this year as someone coming off the bench. He has hit this total twice this season, scoring 17 against Alcorn State and 12 the first time they played Maryland. He also finished with eight points in the first meeting which is a solid total for him.
I think this will be his third game of the season hitting this total, and will do so while hitting three 3-pointers as well.
2. MSU holds Elijah Hawkins to four assists
This will be the first time the Spartans see Elijah Hawkins this season as he did not play in the first game in East Lansing. The Spartans were fortunate he didn’t play because he is one of the Gophers’ best players.
Hawkins is also the No. 1 player in the country in assists per game, averaging 7.8. Hawkins also only has two games with four assists or less this season, with both games coming in November. He also has five games recording double-digit assists, including his last game, and a season-high 17 against IUPUI.
This likely will take a miracle to come true, but I think the Michigan State guards will be locked in defensively on Hawkins. If this prediction comes true, the Spartans will have a great chance of winning this game.
3. MSU outrebounds Minnesota by 7
Michigan State basketball is not a good rebounding team this year. Everyone knows that at this point. So the Spartans outrebounding any Big Ten opponent by seven should be considered a bold prediction.
But MSU is coming off a game in which it rebounded extremely well. The Spartans beat Maryland on the glass 36-30 which was shocking to me. However, the Gophers won the rebounding battle in the first matchup 38-35 and would be expected to win it again on Tuesday. But I think MSU is turning a corner rebounding the ball and will win the battle on the glass for the second game in a row.
More must-reads: