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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Notre Dame

By Connor Muldowney

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 26: Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts to an officials call in the first half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 26: Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts to an officials call in the first half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball will get a chance to take down a second straight ACC foe in No. 5 Notre Dame on Thursday night.

Coming off their best win of the season, the Spartans will look to rise even further in the rankings with a win over the No. 5 team in the country, Notre Dame, on Thursday night. Michigan State needs to come out on top in order to salvage something in the poor start from the conference in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for November

Michigan State might be the conference’s best hope, but Notre Dame isn’t going to be an easy win. The Fighting Irish are 6-0 with a win over No. 6 Wichita State in last week’s Maui Invitational title game. Bonzie Colson leads the team, averaging a double-double, and is a top national player of the year candidate.

The Spartans will hope to get Miles Bridges back to 100 percent and Kenny Goins may also be back for this one. Can Michigan State remain hot after a strong showing in the PK80 to take down a second straight top-10 ACC foe?

Here’s how you can watch Thursday’s Michigan State vs. Notre Dame game online:

Date: Thursday, Nov. 30
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to victory

Keeping Colson in check may seem like the biggest key to victory for the Spartans, but in reality, it will be slowing down the Notre Dame deep-range barrage. The Irish make 43 percent of their 3-point shots as a team, which is essentially unheard of. The Spartans need to defend the perimeter like they did against North Carolina on Sunday.

Offensively, the Spartans must crash the offensive glass and take advantage of the clear size advantage. On top of that, feeding Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward in the post will be key. Michigan State can get the Irish into foul trouble by keying on the post.

Notre Dame players to watch

The Fighting Irish began the season ranked No. 14 and have moved up each week since then with an undefeated record. They feature one of the best 3-point shooting teams the Spartans will face and have a national player of the year candidate. Who should we be watching for?

  • Bonzie Colson — 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 59% field goal rate
  • Matt Farrell — 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, 43% shooting from 3-point range
  • TJ Gibbs — 15.5 points, 3.2 assists, 53% shooting from 3-point range
  • Martinas Geben — 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 80% field goal rate

Notre Dame has just eight players that average over 10 minutes per game, which could play to the Spartans’ advantage.

Next: MSU Basketball: 5 takeaways from North Carolina win

Prediction

It’s not going to be easy to stop Bonzie Colson in the post, but Michigan State will limit him. However, the Spartans will struggle to stop the 3-point barrage of Notre Dame and the Irish will keep it close until Michigan State locks down defensively late in the second half. Josh Langford will have yet another big game and Miles Bridges will play like his old self.

Final Score: Notre Dame 63, Michigan State 70

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