Both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Michigan State Spartans are riding high after each won their prestigious Invitational events. In their upcoming highly anticipated ACC/Big Ten Challenge match-up, who has the edge in the position battles?
Point guard: Matt Farrell vs. Cassius Winston
How far the Irish go this year will largely depend on the play of senior guard Matt Farell, the undisputed leader of the team. He’s already taken on that mantle on the offensive end, averaging 17.5 ppg and 4.3 apg through the first six games.
He’s played roughly the same minutes from a year ago but has three more attempted shots. It hasn’t affected his shooting percentages, with his three-point shooting currently at 43%. At 6’0, he has to be the toughest guy on the court to succeed and he has – being the catalyst to the comeback to win the Maui Invitational.
He takes on Cassius Winston, who’s been showing signs of growth in the early part of this season. He’s averaged 12.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg, but his most impressive stat has been his 7.5 apg, something he didn’t do all the time in his freshman year.
His offense is starting to come around, making half of his three-point shots in the first six games. That along with his defense is starting to make him the point guard Tom Izzo and Spartans need to make a potential final four run.
While Winston is starting to put things together, Farrell is already at that point, and if it wasn’t for a teammate of his he’d be getting national player of the year buzz. The last time Winston went up against a talented senior, he won that battle easily. Let’s see if he can do it again.
Edge: Farrell