Michigan State vs. Notre Dame: Who wins the position battles?

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BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 16: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish bench celebrates a three point basket during the first half against the Princeton Tigers during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 16, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Reserves: Notre Dame’s Elijah Burns, John Mooney, DJ Harvey and Austin Torres vs. Michigan State’s Lourawls Nairn, Matt McQuaid, Ben Carter, Gavin Schilling, Kenny Goins and Xavier Tillman

While both teams boast quality starting lineups, it’s the benches that make these teams title contenders. There’s a reason why once these teams get a sizable lead, the game is basically over.

For the Fighting Irish, top-50 freshman DJ Harvey is more of a sixth starter than a typical reserve. He averages 8.0 ppg and 2.5 rpg, and at 6’7 he can play the 2,3, or 4 spots on the floor. In this particular game, he could very well be a better match-up at the wing position to guard Bridges than Pflueger.

John Mooney and Austin Torres will be relied upon to help deal with the talented big men that lies await over on the other bench. Altogether, Notre Dame’s bench averages over 16.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg.

Michigan State’s bench would probably finish near the middle of the Big Ten. Tum Tum Nairn provides leadership off the bench and averages around 4.0 apg. Matt McQuaid single-handedly won the DePaul game without Bridges, hitting six threes while the others struggled to muster offense.

Some teams don’t even have one good frontcourt player off the bench, but Izzo has a quartet of guys to call from. Xavier Tillman is the freshman of the bunch, while the others are veterans with over 100 games played in their careers. The reserves themselves post a double-double, with 17.5 ppg and 11.1 rpg.

In terms of which bench you rather have, Harvey is the most talented player by far of the bunch and could/should be a starter. However, the bench for Michigan State already has experience as starters in the past, knows their roles, and has an understanding as to how to make an impact without scoring the ball. There’s just not too many benches that can match the depth of the Spartans.

Edge: Michigan State

Next: UNC vs. Michigan State by position

As expected, this is a fairly even match-up between two top-five teams that have as much momentum as possible. Who will win the headliner of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge? Stay tuned for Busting Brackets preview, time and prediction for the big game.

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