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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Connecticut in PK80

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans walks through the tunnel before the game against the Stony Brook Seawolves at Breslin Center on November 19, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 19: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans walks through the tunnel before the game against the Stony Brook Seawolves at Breslin Center on November 19, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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After beating DePaul on Thursday night, Michigan State basketball will take on Connecticut with a trip to the title game on the line.

Michigan State is searching for some revenge on Friday night. The last couple of times the Spartans have faced Kevin Ollie and the Connecticut Huskies, they have come out on the losing end of things. In fact, the Armed Forces Classic in 2012, Ollie beat the Spartans in his first season as coach of the Huskies. He did so again in the Elite Eight in 2014.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over DePaul

Tom Izzo wants to get back on track against UConn, and a win in the Phil Knight Invitational on Friday night would be a good start. The Spartans are fresh off a win over DePaul and UConn awaits with a trip to the PK80 title game on the line.

Michigan State may once again be without Miles Bridges and that could change the outcome of this one, but the Spartans have plenty of experience when it comes to playing without their star player.

Connecticut is 4-0 and the Spartans are 3-1, but one team will get a chance to knock off North Carolina, presumably, on Sunday in the championship. Who will it be?

Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s (or Saturday morning’s) game against UConn:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 25
Time: 12 a.m. ET
Location: Portland, Ore.
Venue: Veterans Memorial Coliseum
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to victory

Michigan State needs to avoid sleepwalking through the first half again. Far too often, the Spartans get behind early and they are forced to play catch-up, even with inferior opponents. Getting off to a quick start and maybe taking a 10-point lead into halftime will solve some problems that have surfaced because of the absence of Bridges.

Defensively, figuring out how to defend the post will be important. Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. get caught reaching over the top in the post far too often and that leads to foul trouble. The Spartans need to put together a nice defensive game with no silly fouls which lead to just 11 minutes for Ward.

Connecticut players to watch

The Huskies are undefeated on the season, but nearly lost to Stony Brook, whom the Spartans defeated on Sunday night. They average 74.5 points per game, but give up just less than 63. Here’s who you should be keeping an eye on.

  • Terry Larrier — 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 44% from 3-point range
  • Jalen Adams — 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, leads the team in minutes per game
  • Antwoine Anderson — 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists
  • Alterique Gilbert — 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals

Connecticut has five players who average over 10 points per game, but the sixth-highest scorer puts up just 4.8 per contest.

Next: MSU Basketball: Report card for win over DePaul

Prediction

In a rematch of that 2014 Elite Eight game, the Spartans have far more talent than the Huskies this time around. Although Terry Larrier has been on fire to start the season, the Huskies don’t necessarily have a go-to guy like Shabazz Napier was against the Spartans. Miles Bridges will likely miss this one, too, but the Spartans will get another nice showing from Matt McQuaid and big games from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward in the post.

Final Score: UConn 64, Michigan State 75

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