Let’s take a look at the preview and predictions for Saturday evening’s Michigan State vs Florida game.
Saturday is going to be a big day for Michigan State basketball as the Spartans play host to Florida and will be honoring the 2000 National Championship team which beat the Gators, 89-76. Michigan State will be looking to notch its 11th win on the year and remain undefeated and No. 1 in the country.
Must Read: Michigan State Football: Top 10 games of the Mark Dantonio Era
Michigan State and Florida are headed in opposite directions as the Gators are really feeling the loss of head coach Billy Donovan who made the jump to the NBA while the Spartans are looking like one of Tom Izzo’s most impressive teams ever.
Florida is still 6-2, but a recent loss against No. 17 Miami on the road might be telling of just how far this team has to go to be relevant again. Michigan State has won all of its games by an average of 27.4 points and is just looking to add another ‘W’ to the win column.
Details for Saturday’s Michigan State vs Florida game are below:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 12
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, MI
Arena: Breslin Center
TV Info: ESPN 2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: For Florida radio affiliates, click here. For Michigan State radio affiliates, click here.
Three Players to Watch
Dec 9, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Matt Costello (10) is defended by Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks forward Dominique Elliott (32) during the first half a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
- Eron Harris. Once again, I believe it’s going to be one of those games in which we see a player who is on the verge of really breaking out. Eron Harris shot 4-for-4 from three-point range against UMES on Wednesday and his 12 points were the most from the bench. Could he do the same against a more impressive team?
- Dorian Finney-Smith. The Gators’ senior forward might cause some problems for Michigan State in the post as he might be the most physical big the Spartans have played all year. He is averaging a team-high 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and he can even step out and hit a three, if need be.
- Matt Costello. After a red-hot start to the season, the senior big man has cooled down significantly, averaging just 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. If the Spartans are going to have success in Big Ten play, Matt Costello can’t just disappear off the face of the earth from the post.
Three Storylines to Follow
Dec 9, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Lourawls Nairn Jr. (11) defends Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks guard Thomas Rivera (2) during the 2nd half a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
- Defensive dominance. The Spartans have been haunting opponents over the past two games, only allowing 34 points per game and forcing opponents to shoot around 20 percent from the field. Can this continue against a poor shooting/offensive team like Florida? The Gators shoot just 28 percent from three-point range, 42 percent from the field and 65 percent from the free-throw line.
- Guard play. Florida doesn’t have that one guard who can just take over games as the top three scorers on the team all happen to play in the post. It will be interesting to see if Tum Tum Nairn, Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and Eron Harris can take advantage of that mismatch.
- Rebounding battle. Will Michigan State come out on top of the rebounding battle in this one? The Florida Gators might have the best rebounding team MSU has faced to this point, averaging 44 boards per game. Can the Spartans do what they do best and out-tough the Gators on the glass?
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Michigan State -6.5
Predictions
Florida is going to catch a bit of a spark on offense in the second half to make the final score look respectable, but Michigan State will be leading by about 10-plus points throughout. Denzel will finish as the game’s top scorer with 21 points while Bryn Forbes will add 15 and the Spartan bench will chime in with another impressive game.
Final Score: Florida 66, Michigan State 75