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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. North Florida

By Connor Muldowney

TULSA, OK - MARCH 19: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans takes a shot against Carlton Bragg Jr. #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 19, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
TULSA, OK - MARCH 19: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans takes a shot against Carlton Bragg Jr. #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 19, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball will open the season on Friday night against North Florida and here’s everything you need to know.

It’s finally here, folks. The start of the 2017-18 college basketball season is back and Michigan State fans can rejoice knowing that this year’s Spartans could be the best Tom Izzo has ever had. The team is loaded with talent from top to bottom and anything short of a Final Four berth would be a disappointment in the head coach’s eyes.

Must Read: MSU Recruiting: 5 bold predictions for November

Miles Bridges is back for his sophomore year, joined by Nick Ward, Josh Langford and Cassius Winston who made up that elite class. They will host North Florida on Friday night. The Ospreys come in as one of the least-experienced teams from the Atlantic Sun after losing its top two scorers.

This game could get out of hand early on, but the Spartans need to make sure they don’t play like they did against Ferris State when they were taken down to the wire.

Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s game:

Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go

Keys to Victory

Michigan State needs to protect the ball and force turnovers on a young team like North Florida. The Spartans will easily be the most experienced team on the floor Friday night, so making this young team feel uncomfortable on the road will be important. This game could get out of hand in that case. Offensively, getting guys like Matt McQuaid, Cassius Winston and Josh Jackson going will be imperative. Miles Bridges is always going to get his points, but he needs help.

Meet the Opponent

North Florida is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference along with Florida Gulf Coast who gave the Spartans a scare last season. The Ospreys made the NCAA Tournament two years ago, but lost in the conference tournament finals last year. They were just 15-19 overall and 8-6 in conference play last season. They lost two-time Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Dallas Moore and second-leading scorer Chris Davenport from last season.

Here’s who to watch for:

  • Garrett Sams, sophomore guard: 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds
  • Wajid Aminu, sophomore forward: 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds
  • Romelo Banks, senior center: 7.5 points, 6.0 rebounds

Next: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for November

Prediction

North Florida has lost a ton of talent from a team that went just 15-19 last year and it won’t look good against the Spartans at Breslin. Michigan State will find a way to make the Ospreys pay for early mistakes and although the Spartans will play some sloppy basketball, all will be forgiven with highlight dunks by Miles Bridges, Josh Langford, Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. This game will be over by halftime.

Final Score: North Florida 52, Michigan State 82

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