The Spartans are still going in the Big Ten Tournament and take on top seed Purdue.
Michigan State shook off an end of season slide to beat Minnesota in their Big Ten Tournament opener. Their prize? Taking on top seed Purdue.
Game Time: Friday, March 15th at 12 noon (US East Coast Time)
Watch the game: BTN (Streaming in the FoxSports App with a BTN subscription)
Comment and Follow Live at the GAME THREAD HERE (live at 10:30am)
Some basics to sound like a pro:
Michigan State:
Michigan State has been all over the place this year. They started the year ranked in the top five. They had disappointing losses early before putting together a mid season run that included big wins over programs like Baylor and an 8-2 stretch in Big Ten play. They then ended the year losing 4 of 5 games (including a hard fought battle to Purdue and two one-shot losses to Ohio State and Indiana). In short, no one knows which Michigan State team is going to show up.
The recent chaos in the program for the Spartans has been mirrored by a suddenly unsettled lineup. In the front court, Senior Mady Sissoko went from starting 26 games this year to playing just one minute in the win over Minnesota.
Highly touted (though initially clearly unready for college level play) freshman Xavier Booker has entered the playing rotation starting a few games and mostly contributing positively in the last six games of the season (though notably, MSU found ways to lose 4 of those 6).
And despite having one of the most veteran lineups in the country, it was essentially the strong play of the bench that carried Michigan State to a win over Minnesota. (though it should be noted that the veterans also played well by the end of that game).
All of this is to say, it’s who will really show up for Michigan State today. They could be world killers and take down Purdue, or get blown out.
Purdue University
Purdue deserves every ounce of the respect they are getting this year. After an embarrassing first round last year in the NCAA Tournament, the team essentially brought everyone back and saw improvement across the roster. This team is better than last year’s and deserves their spot amongst the best teams in the country.
7’4” Zach Edey is almost impossible to contain for any team. For Michigan State’s struggling front court it is a particularly difficult task.
The difference maker for the Boilermakers might actually not be the big man. It is arguably the emergence of sophomore guard Braden Smith. Smith has gone from a quality outside threat (last year) to an all around floor general that gives Purdue an edge in most matchups. His 7.2 assists per game and 5.9 rebounds are almost more important than his 13 points a game. But he can still light it up when he needs to.
The question for Purdue is how much they care about this tournament. Winning it will require them to win three games in three days. That’s an exhausting task for any team – and may simply not be their priority as they are clearly focused on the NCAA tournament next week. Still, Matt Painter is a quality coach who should have his team ready to compete.
Predictions:
BBD: 78-67 Purdue Win