Michigan State Basketball: 3 keys for Spartans to upset No. 5 Iowa
2. A key to Michigan State’s win last year was getting production from three players – and they need players to step up this time
It is no mystery that last season was frustrating for the Spartans. Headlined by Cassius Winston – one of the best players in program history – and Xavier Tillman, Michigan State entered the year as the preseason number-one team in the nation. They fluctuated in the national poll until mid-February, where – after sliding down to 16th because of a loss at Wisconsin – skidded out of the polls after back-to-back losses to Penn State and Michigan.
The Spartans climbed back to 24th ahead of their showdown with Iowa, which set up a top-25 showdown with the 18th-ranked team in the nation – and, for the most part, why Michigan State was ranked so highly is what led the Spartans to a 78-70 victory. Their win featured three double-digit scorers – and two of them are back for this year’s showdown.
Cassius Winston had a near double-double in the game, pouring in 20 points to go with nine assists – but the floor general is now gone. Remaining are Aaron Henry and Rocket Watts, both of whom were crucial for a Spartans squad whose next leading scorer was Xavier Tillman – who had six points.
Watts tied a then-career-high performance against the Hawkeyes, tallying a game-best 21 points (7-10 2PT). Henry, meanwhile, added 17 points to go with six rebounds and four assists. In all, Winston, Henry, and Watts combined for 58 of Michigan State’s 78 points.
It is also no mystery that this year’s group has struggled to remain consistent, as well as finding production – particularly past Henry. Henry has led Michigan State in scoring this year at 13.9 points per game, and the junior has recorded double-digits in 11-straight games after scoring just six in the season-opener against Eastern Michigan.
But after Henry, it has been wildly inconsistent. For example, since Joey Hauser‘s season-best 27-point performance against Wisconsin on Christmas, Hauser has failed to record more than nine points in a game. In the following game, Henry was the only Spartan to reach double-figures. Against Nebraska, Gabe Brown added 10 points off the bench – and then scored four against Rutgers and went scoreless against Purdue. Watts, meanwhile, has recorded single-digits in six of the Spartans’ last seven games.
Outside of Henry, the biggest – and most consistent – bright spot for the Spartans as of late has been Joshua Langford. After tallying double-digits in just two of Michigan State’s first nine games – one of which he did not even play – Langford has reached that mark in three-straight games. Against Purdue, Henry and Langford were the only Spartans to reach double-digits, with 13 and 10, respectively.
It took the Spartans three double-digit scorers last year to usurp Iowa – and in order to defeat what is an even better offensive team this season, they need to replicate that performance. The Hawkeyes, currently, are averaging 1.06 points per possession – and thus far, only two teams have had the offense to keep up with them. Michigan State has the capability of being the third – but they will desperately need players to step up.