Michigan State Heads ‘crosstown for a Showdown with UCLA
The No. 9 Michigan State Spartans continue their California road trip on Tuesday night with a primetime matchup against UCLA, tipping off at 10:00 p.m. eastern at Pauley Pavilion. The Spartans remain atop the Big Ten standings at 9-1 (18-3 overall), but with (now No. 7) Purdue and um at 9-2 and 8-2, there’s little room for error. UCLA, sits tied for 4th in conference play at 7-4 (16-6 overall) and has been on a tear lately, winning five straight after what can generously be described as a rough start to the new year.
The Bruins opened January by losing four straight to Nebby, um, Maryland, and Rutgers—a stretch that prompted their head coach, Mick Cronin, to throw a good chunk of the team under the bus in his postgame comments. Something about missed open shots, bad decision-making, and minds being “on other things.” Turns out, publicly calling out your players seems to be their thing. Since then, UCLA has righted their sunfish and it looks like tomorrow night’s matchup should be a good game.
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Strength vs. Strength
On the Spartans’ side, defense and depth have been the biggest weapons, but offense can shift into gear. Tre Holloman and Jeremy Fears Jr. are facilitating at a high level, dishing out nearly 7 and 4 assists per game, respectively. Jaden Akins, who quietly downed 11 points last game, is the player MSU needs to be at his best. He averages around 13, but when he gets 17-18-ish, the Spartans are tough to beat.
Michigan State has thrived this season on balance and efficiency, averaging 82.0 points per game in Big Ten play while giving up just 66.2. UCLA, meanwhile, is scoring 73.5 points per game while holding opponents to a charitable, 71.3. The Bruin defense has been key to their wins – especially early season over Gonzaga and Arizona – but the question is whether it will hold up against a team as deep and usually (*cough*) disciplined as MSU. That said, team depth isn’t a MSU exclusive. Last time out for UCLA, against Oregon, 9 guys played meaningful minutes with a 10th, picking up 4 points, 3 boards and a steal in 6 minutes on the court.
The Bruins are a tough out at home, boasting an 11-1 record in Westwood. The good news? The Green and White faithful definitely made their presence felt in LA. So if you’re in the area, make some noise and help turn Pauley Pavilion into Breslin West. If you can’t make it, don’t worry about trying to watch it — the game is on a waste of bandwidth and electrict… er. Peacock.
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Eric Dailey Jr. is UCLA’s leading scorer, the Okie State transfer Sophomore averages 13.7 points per game while shooting a solid 56% from the field. Junior Oregon State transfer Forward, Tyler Bilodeau adds nearly 13 per game on 53% shooting, and both play not ridiculous minutes (around 28 per game). Sebastian Mack chips in double figures, while USC transfer Kobe Johnson—who plays 30 minutes a night—averages just under 10 points though shoots 40%+ from three (USC transfer to UCLA? Ouch).
Rebounding hasn’t been the mantra for the Bruins this season, though Johnson (5.5 rpg) and Bilodeau (4.3 rpg) go grab a decent number. Aday Mara, their 7-foot-3 Spaniard from Zaragoza, logs only 15 minutes per game but still manages to be a force defensively, ranking fourth in the Big Ten in blocks but leading the league in accented syllables [that’s a Zaragoza joke].
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Correctable Mistakes
MSU’s last game against USC was far from their best offensive effort. The Spartans committed 13 turnovers, including seven in the first half – manifesting 12 points for the Trojies – and shot a season-low 57.9% from the free throw line. The guys in Green barely won the rebounding battle (34-33) and let USC hang around in the paint far longer than necessary. The Spartans are 1-3 when scoring under 70 points and 0-3 when trailing at the half—so let’s just not do that.
The key for MSU will be taking care of the ball, finishing possessions on the defensive glass, and—I’m sure Izzo wants a higher free throw percentage than his age. If any two of Akins, Holloman, Fears, Jase, or Coen Carr step up offensively, history suggests the Spartans should be in great shape. Maybe last time out it was the stars and fam in the stands; the styling, profiling, growling, and smiling, while in the sun; west coast smoke choking the team out, or just regular jet lag from flying back to Cali Cali Cali… no man, I don’t think so. Whatever it was I’m pretty sure Izzo is shaking ‘em, baking ‘em, takin ‘em to hoops they never before hung, getting it practiced out of them yesterday and today.
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One Game at a Time
Michigan State has been tested in the autumn and stepped up to close close games more effectively than recent seasons past. Now, as the ‘24-’25 backstretch looms, and with the USC loss having shook a few loose gears, look for the Spartans to reset some bearings in this one. UCLA is playing well, but like the Palisades and Eaton, these Teddys’ hot streak is due for containment.
Go Green.