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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Nebraska in Week 4

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 30: Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against Temple Gibbs JR. #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Breslin Center on November 30, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 30: Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against Temple Gibbs JR. #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Breslin Center on November 30, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball will host Nebraska on Sunday evening and here’s everything you need to know for the 2017-18 Big Ten opener.

The Big Ten opener comes early this year with the conference tournament taking place a week earlier than usual. Michigan State opens the conference season against Nebraska at home, looking for that initial win to continue dominance over the Cornhuskers.

Must Read: Despite blowout of Notre Dame, Spartans have room to grow

Michigan State is coming off back-to-back wins against top-10 opponents, including a victory in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Nebraska, too, won its Big Ten/ACC matchup against Boston College, giving the conference two of its three wins.

Who will come away with a win in Sunday evening’s game? Miles Bridges will be close to 100 percent healthy, Josh Langford is red-hot, Cassius Winston is also on fire and Nick Ward is on the verge of a breakout. If I were a betting man, I’d pick the Spartans.

Here’s how you can watch Sunday evening’s Michigan State vs. Nebraska game:

Date: Sunday, Dec. 3
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to victory

Guarding the perimeter will be important yet again. Michigan State got away from that early in the second half against Notre Dame and that’s why the Irish got back into the game and pulled within eight. The defense can’t get away from what’s working and that means hedging screens and switching on off-ball screens. Notre Dame was suffocated and there’s no reason Nebraska should fare any better.

On offense, feeding the post has been my key for the most part this year, but in this one I’m going to say the guards’ success is crucial. Keeping Josh Langford and Cassius Winston hot will be important not just on Sunday but for the rest of the season.

Nebraska players to watch

Although the Cornhuskers have a 6-2 overall record, they haven’t played anyone with a pulse yet. Tim Miles has done an impressive job with the program although it’s take a step, or two, back in recent years. Which players should you keep an eye on?

  • James Palmer Jr. — 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals
  • Glynn Watson Jr. — 13.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds
  • Isaac Copeland — 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 51% FG rate
  • Anton Gill — 11.2 points, 51% FG rate, 57% from 3-point range
  • Evan Taylor — 9.8 points, 3.1 assists, 8-for-10 from 3-point range

Nebraska isn’t an offensive power, but the Spartans still need to get out to the 3-point line to match up with Gill and Taylor.

Next: MSU Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over Notre Dame

Prediction

Michigan State will keep the Huskers under 40 percent shooting for the game but foul trouble will keep it closer than it needs to be. Nebraska won’t be able to put any runs together, though, as the Spartans will play a near-perfect 40 minute game. The Michigan State bigs will have strong games while Josh Langford remains red-hot. Oh, and Miles Bridges gets back on track.

Final Score: Nebraska 62, Michigan State 83

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