Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions vs. Notre Dame

Thursday night features one of the best Big Ten-ACC Challenge games of the season as Michigan State basketball hosts Notre Dame.

For the second game in a row, Michigan State will be matched up with an ACC foe ranked in the top 10. This time, the Spartans will get No. 5 Notre Dame after taking down No. 9 North Carolina, the defending champ, on Sunday in the PK80 title game.

The Spartans have proven that they can hang with anyone in the country, but Notre Dame plays a slightly different game than the Tar Heels did. The Irish are strong shooters and they also have a national player of the year candidate in Bonzie Colson. He averages a double-double on the season and he’s going to be tough to stop.

All eyes around the college basketball world will be on East Lansing as the Spartans gear up for a tough matchup, but it could just add to the resume before conference action begins.

The bold predictions for Thursday night’s game, if all come true, would make for an epic top-five matchup.

5. Notre Dame will torch Michigan State from 3-point range

If you know anything about Notre Dame this year, it has to be the fact that the Irish are one of the best long-range shooting teams in college basketball. In fact, they make 43 percent of their shots from deep and have a few guys who make over 40 percent and one who’s even making over 50 percent from 3-point land. That’s what you call efficiency.

That won’t change on Thursday night in East Lansing. The Fighting Irish will drain 10-15 threes on the night to make the Spartans sweat this one out and very few shots will come from inside the arc — led by Bonzie Colson.

Matt Farrell and TJ Gibbs are going to remain hot from 3-point range as the Spartan defense will contest the shots, but they will fall like they did against Stony Brook a couple of weeks ago.