Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions for November 2017
1. Michigan State will beat Duke, start season 7-0
Am I crazy? Maybe a little, but Michigan State has the talent to match up and beat every team in the nation this year. Moreover, the Spartans have experience, which usually trumps talent. Let’s go through what the month of November will look like for the green and white.
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The Spartans open with North Florida on Friday and while there will be sloppy play as it’s the first game of the year, there will be plenty of highlight plays and the game will be out of hand, allowing the walk-ons to get some minutes.
Next, Duke awaits the Spartans in the Champions Classic. The Blue Devils might be the most talented team in the country and it’s due, in large part, to their freshman class. However, the Spartans have more experience and Tom Izzo is due for a win over Coach K. This will be an instant class, ending in a 76-74 Spartans win.
Stony Brook is the next game and, well, it will be in for a blowout in East Lansing. DePaul then begins the Phil Knight Invitational, but it won’t stand much of a chance to beat the Spartans. Oregon isn’t quite the same team it was a year ago and the Spartans will take care of the Ducks on the way to the tourney title game.
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North Carolina will be sitting there and this will be the year Izzo bucks trends, beating Roy Williams’ Tar Heels (finally), 67-62. The Spartans end the month with a Big Ten-ACC Challenge game against a ranked Notre Dame team, beating their third ACC foe in the opening month to improve to 7-0.