Michigan State Basketball: Game-by-game predictions for 2017-18
By Adam Zdroik
Michigan State basketball is one of the favorites to win it all this season, but that doesn’t happen in one day. Here are predictions for every game of the season for the Spartans.
The projections for Michigan State basketball are sky-high this season, which means things could easily end in heartbreak for the fans given the nature of the NCAA tournament. But before we get to the end, there’s still a quest to go undefeated for the Spartans. While that’s a long shot, it’s always fun to dream, especially for a team getting hyped in every NCAA preseason preview.
Here are the predictions for every game this season.
Nov. 10 vs. North Florida: The Ospreys put together an incredibly difficult early schedule with games against Michigan and Florida also in November, but that doesn’t make them a good team. While Michigan State hasn’t looked the best in exhibition games, the regular season should change that tone. Win (1-0)
Nov. 14 vs. Duke (Champions Classic): And just like that, the schedule picks up. In recent matchups, it’s been bigs like Jahlil Okafor that have been too much for MSU and that could be the case again, even with MSU’s depth in the frontcourt. However, this is the second game of the season and Duke features mostly freshmen from Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter up front to Gary Trent and Trevon Duval in the backcourt. Experience wins this game for the Spartans. Win (2-0)
Nov. 19 vs. Stony Brook: The Spartans get another home game before going out West and should take care of business against an experienced Seawolves team. This could be too close for comfort, but with starting point guard Lucas Woodhouse (15.1 ppg, 5.1 apg) graduated, Stony Brook will be flustered on the road. Win (3-0)
Nov. 23 vs. DePaul (PK80 in Portland): If all goes well, this should be a fun tournament that everyone can watch around Thanksgiving. The Blue Demons remain the worst team in the Big East and while Eli Cain and transfer Max Strus can keep this game competitive, Nick Ward should have his way against a team that has similar size to MSU last season. Win (4-0)
Nov. 24 vs. Oregon (PK80 in Portland): Oregon eases past UConn in the other game, which will set up an intriguing matchup with Michigan State. The Ducks are without some big names from last year’s Final 4 squad, but Payton Pritchard and transfer MiKyle McIntosh should keep the group relevant along with some big freshmen. That doesn’t mean they’ll manage to slow down Miles Bridges, even in a tournament close to home. Win (5-0)
Nov. 26 vs. Arkansas (PK80 in Portland): The Razorbacks are one of the hottest teams in the first month of the season, beating Oklahoma and then UNC in this tourney. Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford lead a revenge win over the Heels and then give tons of trouble to the weakest spot for Michigan State, the backcourt. The issue for the Hogs will be stopping Bridges and Nick Ward, while Jaren Jackson’s arms stop the Arkansas bigs from getting anything done. Win (6-0)
Nov. 30 vs. Notre Dame: Per usual, the Irish are going to have a solid team under Mike Brey. Their problem in this game is that MSU has five different guys to throw at Bonzie Colson with Jackson’s length the biggest issue. Rex Pflueger and Matt Farrell form a decent backcourt, but if Cassius Winston and Josh Langford struggle defending them, the season might be over before we know it. Win (7-0)