Michigan State Basketball: Staff score predictions vs. Nebraska
Michigan State basketball faces a must-win versus Nebraska on Thursday night and our staff gives final score predictions.
The last time Michigan State basketball beat Nebraska at home was in the 2012-13 season when Gary Harris, Adreian Payne, Branden Dawson, Derrick Nix and Keith Appling were still on the roster. That seems like a decade ago, but the Spartans are hoping to end that drought on Thursday night.
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Nebraska comes in with a 12-14 record, but the Cornhuskers are on a three-game winning streak. Michigan State is coming off a 17-point loss to Purdue on Saturday and a game in which the Spartans lost senior guard Eron Harris for the season. Will Michigan State rebound Thursday?
Take a look at the score predictions from our Spartan Avenue staff.
Connor Muldowney: There’s just no way around it, Thursday night’s matchup with Nebraska is a must-win for Michigan State. The Spartans can’t afford to lose any home games from here on out, let alone one to bottom-dwelling Nebraska. Nick Ward will have a big game in the post and Miles Bridges will hit four threes again, but the Spartans will struggle to slow Ed Morrow and Jordy Tshimanga in the paint. The game will be back-and-forth, but the Spartans pull away late.
Final: Nebraska 64, Michigan State 72
Ryan McCumber: Michigan State won at Nebraska pretty easily. However, the Huskers were without Ed Morrow who will be playing tonight. The Spartans third leading scorer, Eron Harris is out for the year after an injury against Purdue. MSU will need Josh Langford and Alvin Ellis III to step up the rest of the season. This game is as close to a must win as they come. Miles Bridges has another monster game and the Spartans get another win at home.
Final: Nebraska 59, Michigan State 65
Ian Olsen: Michigan State’s response to Eron Harris’ season-ending injury begins, missing the team’s only wing efficient at creating his own shot.
The dynamic will shift by both his skill set’s absence and the requirement to divvy out his 23 minutes. How will the playing time and performance of wings Joshua Langford, Alvin Ellis, and Matt McQuaid change? Will point guards Tum Tum Nairn and Cassius Winston play together more? This season’s substituting circus makes these factors unpredictable to impossible to predict.
Two near certainties are that Miles Bridges will need to do even more, and Winston must play more to avoid insufficient able scorers on the court.
The adjustments should be exciting, perhaps nerve wracking, to watch.
Final: Nebraska 65, Michigan State 72
Stephen Robb: Last time these two faced, Michigan State came away with a win. It’s crunch time for the Spartans and Tom Izzo is going to give the Cornhuskers everything he’s got to keep his NCAA streak alive. MSU got burned in the post and should have enough to knock off Nebraska again.
Final: Nebraska 66, Michigan State 71
Adam Zdroik: This game is harder than it looks. Michigan State couldn’t miss in the first meeting and Nebraska didn’t have Ed Morrow. We still don’t know what the Spartans will look like without Eron Harris, but Tai Webster was already dreaming about having Matt McQuaid defend him. But in his penultimate home game, Alvin Ellis shines in the Green Out.
Final: Nebraska 68, Michigan State 71
Brooks Hepp: Nebraska is a team that hasn’t stopped fighting, and MSU can’t look past it because of that. That being said, the talent and athleticism heavily favors the Spartans and I don’t think Nebraska’s heart can overcome that. Alvin Ellis III rallies with his extended role and the team uses the Eron Harris injury as motivation.
Final: Nebraska 58, Michigan State 72
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Joe Clifford: Michigan State will need to learn how to play without senior Eron Harris after he suffered a knee injury and had season-ending surgery. In a must-win game for the Spartans, Josh Langford will have a big performance, as will Miles Bridges. Nebraska will struggle to shoot from three, and Michigan State will win by 10.
Final: Nebraska 58, Michigan State 68