Michigan State is seeking its first road win in the Big Ten against a Maryland team with some defensive grit and offensive firepower.
Michigan State men’s basketball is on the road on Sunday to face the Maryland Terrapins . Maryland is 11-7 overall with a 3-4 record in the Big Ten, the exact same record as the Spartans.
Maryland is coming off a tight loss to Northwestern where their star point guard Jahmir Young poured in 36 points. Maryland is 9 and 1 on their home court this season and will be a challenge for the Spartans who are looking to put together a run after winning their last two in conference play.
Game Time: Sunday January 21st at 12 noon (US East Coast Time)
Watch the game: CBS
Comment and Follow Live at the GAME THREAD HERE (live at 10am)
Some basics to sound like a pro:
Michigan State:
The Spartans are trying to find some traction in Big Ten Play. Their roller coaster season has seen them win two in a row in conference play after starting 1-4. The Spartans are led by fifth year shooting guard (and sometimes point guard) Tyson Walker who is averaging about 20 points a game.
The good news for the Spartans has been fellow fifth year forward Malik Hall is starting to gain some consistency to his game after a zero stat line performance in a loss to Northwestern. Beyond the two fifth year players, senior point guard AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins are each finding ways to contribute.
As always the weakness for the Michigan State lineup will be the center position. While senior Mady Sissoko has drastically improved his rebounding effort, the combination of him and sophomore Carson Cooper has been exploited by other teams on both ends of the court.
The biggest question for the Spartans may not be the individual matchups, instead it could be the home court advantage. Michigan State played essentially no true road games in the non-conference schedule and has yet to win a road game in the Big Ten.
Maryland University
The Terrapins are a strong defensive team. Similarly to the Spartans, when Maryland can turn their defensive prowess on against an opponent they are more than likely to pull out the win. Despite the defense getting the headlines, the team still has a few key players with offensive punch.
Point guard Jahmir Young averages 20.8 points per game (and is coming off a 36-point performance) while dishing out 4.1 assists a game. His matchup against Tyson Walker – or really the entire backcourt when Michigan State is on defense – will be a key factor in this game.
The weapon for the Terrapins that could give the Spartans the most trouble could be Julian Reese. The talented forward is averaging 13.6 points a game and 9.7 rebounds a game. It will be interesting to see if Tom Izzo matches up Sissoko and Cooper against the athletic forward or tries to put the slightly undersized, but more athletic Malik Hall on him.
If Maryland can keep up with Michigan State in scoring (they are averaging about 6-points of scoring less than the Spartans), it could pull out a homecourt aided win.
Predictions:
BBD: 74-68 Michigan State
What are your predictions for the game? Let everyone know in the comments below.
SPECIAL NOTE: A Community Thread will be live for the Detroit Lions Playoff Game Against the Buccaneers. Stick Around after the Michigan State game to talk Lions! Community thread will go live at 2:30pm.