Michigan State Basketball: Early non-conference game predictions for 2019-20
By Ryan Kay
Duke
Date: December 3rd
Place: East Lansing, Michigan
The game can also be a showdown between #1 versus #2 according to a CBSsports preseason poll. This will be a rematch of the elite eight tournament game from last season. Duke had in recent years had beaten Michigan State in numerous head to head battles. However, it all changed in last season’s tournament when the Spartans beat a Duke team lead by three soon to be top-10 NBA Draft picks. The Blue Devils do return starting point guard Tre Jones and bring in three top-25 ranked recruits in with Vernon Carey, Matthew Hurt, and Wendell Moore. Duke will look for returning players such as Javin DeLaurier to step up this season and contribute more but having to replace the talent from last years’ team will not be easy. The Blue Devils will be a talented team but they may not be ready to travel to East Lansing and defeat the Spartans on their home court.
Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans will be battle-tested by the time they take on Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Experts may think this will be a game will go down to the final seconds but I see Michigan State winning by eight or more points with the depth and experience of the Spartans being too much for the Blue Devils to handle from of a very vocal Izzone student section.
Prediction: Michigan State 79 Duke 71
Oakland
Date: December 14th
Place: Detroit, Michigan
Oakland being a mid-major program has had its ups and downs in recent years. The transfer portal and the opportunity for mid-major players to possibly transfer to a bigger school has greatly affected keeping a core group of players together season after season for certain mid-major programs. The Grizzlies head coach Greg Kampe in his 36th year as the head coach of Oakland lost two key players in Jaevin Cumberland and Braden Norris as both players transferred to different schools. Three other players in Karmari Newman, James Beck and Stan Scott left the Oakland as well. The Grizzlies will try to give the Spartans a game but this game will end in a 25 plus victory for the green and white.
Prediction: Michigan State 95 Oakland 68
All four players in Winston, Langford, Xavier Tillman, and Aaron Henry more than likely will not be playing in East Lansing after this season. Winston and Langford will have graduated and Tillman and even Henry will more than likely enter the 2020 NBA Draft.
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The depth on this Spartan team from veterans like Ahrens to true freshmen like Watts and to players who will more than likely will contribute more this season will put the Spartans not just at huge advantages against team like Oakland but put them in par to possibly beat Kentucky, Duke, and Kansas before the start of 2020. Don’t be surprised if they go through this very tough non-conference schedule undefeated.