Michigan State Basketball: Score predictions vs. Minnesota

Michigan State basketball faces a tough matchup against Minnesota on Wednesday — who will come out on top?

After losing its first Big Ten game of the year, Michigan State is looking to rebound and stay atop the conference standings with a win over Minnesota on Wednesday. The students are back on campus and the Izzone should be rocking for this home matchup, which could play a key role in the Spartans’ performance.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: Game preview, predictions vs. Minnesota

Penn State seemed to overmatch the Spartans on Saturday afternoon, but Tom Izzo could use that loss as a teaching moment — and surely already has. The Spartans could pick up another nice resume-building win over No. 24 Minnesota Wednesday which is something they desperately need.

Take a look at our staff’s final score predictions for the game.

Connor Muldowney: Michigan State needs to crash the boards at a high rate on Wednesday if they want to have a chance at taking down the Gophers. Luckily, Miles Bridges will look more like himself and that will take some pressure off Nick Ward in the post. That’s not going to stop Ward from recording another double-double and making some key free throws — yes, I said free throws — down the stretch. The Spartans win a nail-biter.

Final: Minnesota 67, Michigan State 72

Ryan McCumber: Michigan State’s biggest win of the season was a comeback win at Minnesota. Tonight, the Gophers come back looking for revenge. Since losing to the Spartans, the Gophers have not lost a game and had a big win at Purdue. Their point guard, Nate Mason, and size inside could give MSU trouble. The Spartans are trying to adjust playing with Miles Bridges back. I expect Minnesota to pull out a win at the Breslin Center tonight.

Final: Minnesota 74, Michigan State 70

Joe Clifford: Michigan State beat Minnesota in overtime on Dec. 27 behind strong performances from Nick Ward and Alvin Ellis. The Spartans will be looking for a repeat of that result. Michigan State will try to get back on track after the return of Miles Bridges upset the rhythm the team was in. Expect a big game from Bridges, and a Michigan State win.

Final: Minnesota 70, Michigan State 76

Daniel Gottschalk: Michigan State looked flat in Bridges’ return to the starting lineup in the loss to Penn State. Will the team be back in sync when Minnesota comes to the Brez on Wednesday? Michigan State will look to continue where it left off against the Gophers in December, when it rode Nick Ward to a comeback victory on the road to capture its first Big Ten win. Bridges will get back into double digits and Ward will have another big game to knock off the No. 24-ranked Gophers. The Izzone will be too much to overcome for Minnesota.

Final: Minnesota 72, Michigan State 77

Brooks Hepp: Like Izzo said in his press conference, Minnesota is an improved team since the last time MSU played them. The Gophers have wins over Northwestern, Purdue and Ohio State to show for it. Cassius Winston and Nick Ward will have big games, but it won’t be enough to overcome Amir Coffey’s breakout performance. He will score 20, and the Spartans will fall again.

Final: Minnesota 70, Michigan State 65

Ian Olsen: In its dismal loss to Penn State Saturday, Michigan State witnessed a couple signs emerge. First, the Spartans cannot win based solely on their talent. If the team does not execute efficiently, its superb talent is irrelevant. Second, the team may live or die by point guard Cassius Winston. He had his worst game Saturday, and the team accordingly appeared dysfunctional lacking energy.

Today’s game against Minnesota will reinforce these signs and show if Michigan State has learned from them. If Winston can return to his dynamic play, and the team can get Miles Bridges in positions to utilize his ability, Michigan State will beat Minnesota and make progress toward its potential.

Final: Minnesota 70, Michigan State 82

Adam Zdroik: When these teams met only a couple weeks ago in The Barn, Michigan State looked outmatched in the first half going down by 15 points, at one point. However, they came back with the help of Nick Ward and Alvin Ellis III. The question will be if Miles Bridges is ready to get back to his former self. If not, the Spartans could have issues once again on the offensive end as Bridges hasn’t done much work inside the paint the last two games. And if Minnesota’s big men don’t get into foul trouble right away again, that’s even more of a problem. But… I can’t go against MSU at home with the students back in town.

Final: Minnesota 63, Michigan State 66

Michael Briggs: Tom Izzo’s Spartans will not show up with lackluster efforts in consecutive games. I expect MSU’s freshman to show a little “Spartan Dawg” in front of the Breslin Center crowd and earn a second hard-fought victory over Minnesota.

Final: Minnesota 67, Michigan State 71

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