Michigan State will travel to Purdue needing a performance for the ages to correct course after back to back losses.
Michigan State will travel to Purdue’s Mackey Arena to face off against one of the top teams in men’s college basketball. This game has been penciled in as a probable loss for the Spartans for most of the year. Yet no one could have predicted how much Michigan State needs a win going into this game after back to back losses.
Game Time: Saturday, March 1st at 8:00 pm (US East Coast Time)
Watch the game: Fox (Streaming in the FoxSports App as well)
Comment and Follow Live at the GAME THREAD HERE (live at 6pm)
Some basics to sound like a pro:
Michigan State:
Michigan State’s program is in a tail spin. Back to back home losses derailed what once looked like a salvaged season. The Spartans came into the year with national championship aspirations, promptly lost their first home game and struggled for the first half of the season. After struggling in early Big Ten action, the Spartans had been on an 8-2 stretch of play which seemed to indicate they had figured things out. Instead, things have seemingly gotten worse out of nowhere.
The Spartans dropped back to back home games against Iowa and Ohio State – neither powerhouses this year. Adding to the sense of a team in a tail spin is the sudden sense of roster upheaval.
After playing essentially the same starting five all year, Coach Tom Izzo brought rarely used (but highly recruited) Xavier Booker into the starting lineup at center against Ohio State. The move looked good initially, and the freshman big man played 17 of the first 25 minutes of the game while MSU mostly led. Down the stretch, the freshman disappeared from the playing rotation and the Spartans struggled to score, eventually losing on a last second shot.
Booker has been a flashpoint for fans all year, with many demanding the freshman get extended minutes despite clear early struggles. Now it seems unclear who the team is playing at center. Even worse, the team’s veteran backcourt has struggled mightily in these losses. Heading to Mackey Arena and hoping for a “get-right” game is not a wish anyone wants to be making.
Purdue University
Purdue is exactly as advertised this year: a behemoth. That is true both literally on the court with 7’4” reigning national player of the year Zach Edey, and figuratively with their play this year. Despite a few stumbles, Purdue is 25-3 this year and clearly focused on the NCAA tournament.
The Boilermakers were caught off guard by Northwestern, Nebraska and Ohio State, but all three of those losses looked flukey and were on the road. At home, Purdue has been flawless – a home court advantage they have used for years over Michigan State.
Purdue is at its best when it is more than its talented big man. Its back court can carry the team to wins as well. Senior Lance Jones is second on the team with 13-points per game, Sophomore Braden Smith has emerged as a strong floor leader with 7.3 assists per game, and Sophomore Fletcher Loyer shoots more than 40% from three. These three make Purdue a nightmare to guard as teams can either double (or triple) team Edey in hopes of slowing him down, or guard the perimeter and let Edey do his things down low.
Coach Izzo has done both strategies in the past – not with much positive effect in Mackey. Michigan State’s possible approach in this game could be to play Xavier Booker and essentially trade letting Edey score at will under the basket for forcing Purdue to guard 4-5 guys who can theoretically hit threes. That could be Michigan State’s one path to winning this game.
Predictions:
BBD: 82-68 Purdue win
What are your predictions for the game? Let everyone know in the comments below.