Michigan State vs Eastern Michigan: Preview, predictions and more

Michigan State basketball is set to take on Eastern Michigan Monday night at the Breslin Center.

The Michigan State basketball team is playing in its fourth game of the season Monday night as the Spartans will be hosting the Eastern Michigan Eagles in an in-state battle. Surely, the Spartans are heavy favorites in this one, but if we have learned anything about the college basketball season thus far, no one is safe from an upset.

Must Read: Michigan State Football: Repord card for win over Ohio State

The Spartans are looking solid to start the season, though, as many would even argue that Michigan State is one of the top-five teams in college basketball — just ask Seth Davis.

Expect to see Michigan State ranked in the top-10, at least, and possibly inside the top-five when the new poll comes out Monday afternoon.

Details for Monday’s Michigan State vs Eastern Michigan game are below:

Date: Monday, Nov. 23
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, MI
Stadium: Breslin Center
TV Info: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go
Radio: For Michigan State radio affiliates, click here. For Eastern Michigan radio, click here.
Ticket Info: For ticket info, click here.

Three Bold Predictions

Nov 20, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Bryn Forbes (5) reacts to a play during the 1st half of a game against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

1. Denzel Valentine will most likely always be the No. 1 player on the top performers list and that’s because he is arguably the best in the nation. Valentine will give the Eagles fits on both sides of the ball and finish with 15 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
2. Bryn Forbes is going to lead all scorers with 21 points, including five three pointers. After a rough third game of the season, the senior guard will light it up from three-point range and really help put the game away late.
3. Deyonta Davis is going to get his second career double-double after having two quiet-ish games over the past week. Davis will score 12 points, add 10 rebounds and even throw in three blocks to his solid performance off the bench.

Three Things to Watch

Nov 20, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Eron Harris (14) reacts to a play during the 1st half of a game against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

1. The evolution of Eron Harris: Is it finally time to see the West Virginia transfer make an impact on offense? He’s been quiet to begin the season and people are starting to wonder when Tom Izzo is going to let him loose. This could be the perfect game for him to break out.
2. Marvin Clark getting back into it: It was surprising to see the sophomore forward come off the bench against Pine Bluff on Friday as he had been out with a foot injury through two weeks. He’s going to be a big part of the team’s production. Will that start against Eastern?
3. Tum Tum’s offense: All summer long, we heard about the work ethic of Lourawls Nairn — otherwise known as Tum Tum. He spent countless hours in the gym, working on his shot and proving that he can add another dimension to his game. We have yet to see that, but it’s bound to happen, right?

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Michigan State -20

Prediction

Michigan State has put the hurt on non-power conference opponents in two games this season, winning by 27 against Florida Atlantic in the opener and 46 versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff last Friday. Although it’s going to be tough to blow out a team like Eastern Michigan that has plenty of talent, the Spartans will rely on their hot shooting once again as Bryn Forbes will lead all scorers with 21 and Denzel will, once again, approach triple-double territory.

Final Score: Eastern Michigan 57, Michigan State 74