After going on a dominant run, the Spartans have been struggling as of late. Will rival Michigan take advantage and pull off a big win?
TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 13, 12:00 p.m. ET. FOX
Arena: Breslin Arena in East Lansing, Michigan
After teams like Duke and Villanova suffered losses in the past couple of weeks, Michigan State 16-2 (4-1) started to really stick out as the favorite to win the national championship. They have everything you want in a team: depth, experience, shooting, and a star in Miles Bridges that makes them so formidable. And considering how the Big Ten is this season, the Spartans should just run rough-shot through the league.
But the events this week said otherwise, with a 16 point loss on Sunday to Ohio State and needing overtime to beat Rutgers — at home. Bridges was absent for the first 30 minutes, not scoring a point until about eight minutes to go. Michigan State is still the favorite to win the conference, but more losses could be coming.
One of those could be at noon on Saturday with Michigan 14-4 (3-2) coming to town. The Wolverines have been on a roll as of late, winning seven straight games, before a tough, one point loss to No. 5 Purdue gave them their first defeat in league play.
The two-star players for Michigan, Moritz Wagner and Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews, combined for 25 points but didn’t do it in the most efficient way, shooting 10/25 combined. Freshman point guard Zavier Simpson started for his second straight game and had his best performance to date, with 15 points six rebounds, and five assists. The Wolverines this year are in the same spot Michigan State was a year ago, looking to find a primary point guard on a consistent basis.
The matchup to watch for is who guards Wagner for the Spartans. Freshman Jaren Jackson is the likely culprit, as he’s able to defend out on the perimeter. Wagner along with Duncan Robinson will try to spread out the opposing bigs by shooting a lot.
Next: Recent struggles for Michigan State a cause for concern?
Michigan State has been sloppy of late, but I think the Scarlet Knights game was a wake-up call. I like the Wolverines down the line, but I look at this as a “wrong place, wrong time” kind of game for them. Spartans win big.
Prediction: Michigan State 87 – Michigan 71