The Spartans wrap up business in Cali, then come back Home
Spartans Out West: No. 22 MSU Women Take on No. 4 USC
If Michigan State is going to get back in the win column, they’ll have to do it the hard way—on a road swing against a top-five team, in a game so late at night that only 3 out of the 7 Peacock subscribers will be watching. The Spartans (19-6, 9-5 Big Ten) head across Los Angeles on Wednesday to face the B1G-leading USC (23-2, 13-1 Big Ten) in a conference showdown that, should the Spartans win, would jostle the top of the league – and keep the Green in the conversation for a first round B1G Tourney bye. Tipoff is at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, for those brave enough to navigate the menu of Our House and Sister, Sister reruns.
USC comes into this matchup flying high after knocking off No. 1 UCLA last week and handing Washington their third consecutive loss. The Trojans’ offense runs through JuJu Watkins, a 6’2” sophomore guard who is leading the Big Ten in scoring by a four-point margin (!) and, based on her recent 39-minute outings, is seemingly immune to fatigue – or at least Coach Gottlieb likes to pretend that she is. Juju is flanked by Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen, who adds 17 points per game, and a supporting cast that includes freshman Kennedy Smith and long-range threat Avery Howell. Defensively, Rayah Marshall swats shots at a 2.2-per-game clip—MSU will need to pick their spots wisely inside.
The Spartans, meanwhile, are looking to rebound (both literally and figuratively) after a tough loss to UCLA, a game in which they led heading into the fourth quarter before ultimately falling short. MSU’s starters carried a heavy load in that one—four players logged 30+ minutes, and only six Spartans put points on the board. Coach Robyn Fralick might need to dig deeper into the bench, if for no other reason than to keep her best players from having to match Watkins’ marathon-level endurance.
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Key factors for MSU: Can they spread the ball more effectively? Against UCLA, the Spartans finished well below their season average in assists, and against a USC squad that doesn’t make a habit of going deep into their bench, ball movement and fresh legs could be the difference between a massive road win and another “what if” loss. The Spartans may also need those legs to refresh on D—a block and a below-average steal count against UCLA won’t cut it here. Fortunately, the Green isn’t up against another 6’7” superstar like Bettts—UCLA only has one 6’6” player and she comes off the bench for less than ten minutes per game.
Prediction? MSU pulls off the upset. Why? Because chaos reigns in the Big Ten this season, in both men’s and women’s hoops—and if the No. 1 team can fall, surely No. 4 can as well. The Spartans punch back, frustrate Watkins into a few turnovers, and find a way to escape L.A. with a signature win. More importantly though, despite the UCLA loss, the Spartans are playing well as a team, showed an ability to dig deep, and when Fralick’s team spreads their offense, they are really really solid. The team didn’t set records out of the gate this season because of randomness and scheduling, and the California teams ain’t magic.
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Hoosier Hospitality? MSU Looks to Handle Indiana on Sunday
After the late-night battle in California, the Spartans return to a much more reasonable timeslot for their Sunday afternoon clash against Indiana (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten) in East Lansing. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. Eastern on BTN.
Indiana enters this matchup coming off a dominant 78-56 win over Purdue, though they’ll have to deal with third-in-the-league, Ohio State on Thursday before making the trip to East Lansing. The Hoosiers’ top scorers in Big Ten play are Yarden Garzon (14.3 ppg) and Sydney Parrish (13.1 ppg), with Karoline Striplin and Chloe Moore-McNeil also chipping in double-digit averages. Garzon is their biggest three-point threat, launching over six per game at a 42% clip, and the offense runs through her. While Indiana doesn’t have overwhelming size, they do shoot 80% from the free-throw line—good for third in the B1G. While limiting fouls will always be helpful, perhaps moreso in this one.
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The Spartans, for their part, will be coming off a game against a machine of a USC team and their now obligatory west-coast swing. Assuming MSU’s rotation is maximized and injury-free, they should be in a position to dictate tempo and attack an Indiana defense that lacks a true shot-blocking presence.
Ball security could be an advantage for MSU, as our primary ball handlers’ assist-to-turnover ratios (3.0, 2.1) are noticeably better than Indiana’s which max out at 2.0. That said, Moore-McNeil’s dishes 4.6 assists per game. So getting mitts on the ball with a bit of thievery and rebounding will be a focal point—neither team boasts dominant individual rebounders, but MSU’s collective effort on the glass has a definite edge in the numbers and will.
How middle-of-the-pack Indiana fares against Ohio State should provide a clue about their mindset coming into Sunday. If they take a beating, they could be extra motivated to bounce back. Then again, the same could be said for MSU, depending on how things go in L.A. Either way, the Spartans should have the edge at home, where they can control the pace and take advantage of Indiana’s defensive limitations.
Prediction? MSU gets the win. Expect a balanced scoring effort, a renewed focus on moving the ball around, and just enough defensive disruption to keep Indiana from finding a rhythm. The Spartans lock up another Big Ten victory and keep climbing the conference standings headed towards March.
Go Green.