3 keys for Oakland Grizzlies to upset the Michigan State Spartans

Avoid the glare of the bright lights

The Oakland Grizzlies are accustomed to playing at the Athletics Center O’rena, which seats 4,000 fans. On Wednesday, they’ll play the Michigan State Spartans at The Breslin Student Events Center, which normally holds 15,000 fans when the team plays. To say that the atmosphere will be vastly different is an understatement.

The Breslin Center has a statue of Michigan State legend Magic Johnson standing outside of the arena. Legendary musical acts like Aerosmith and KISS have performed there. In addition to that, the Spartans are a team with a national following; fans from every corner of the nation will be tuned in to a variety of networks that have decided to cash in on the lucrative business of televising their games. As a Division 1 team, the Grizzlies are used to attention, but there is a huge difference in the spotlight of playing in a road game against a Big Ten opponent and their usual Horizon League schedule.

Most college basketball observers expect the Michigan State Spartans to bounce back from their slow start and eventually reenter the Top 25. The Oakland Grizzlies are seen as another step in the Spartans’ recovery process. However, if the Grizzlies are able to upset the Spartans on Wednesday, it will add a ray of hope to their 2-10 start.

In order to pull off the upset, the Grizzlies will have to crash the glass, guard the 3-point line, and stay focused on the task at hand. Beating the Spartans will not be an easy task, but in the world of college basketball, a surprising upset can happen on any given night.