Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Southern Utah

By Connor Muldowney

PISCATAWAY, NJ - DECEMBER 05: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans takes a three point shot in the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on December 5, 2017 at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - DECEMBER 05: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans takes a three point shot in the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on December 5, 2017 at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Following two straight Big Ten battles, Michigan State basketball will host Southern Utah on Saturday night in a non-conference bout.

Michigan State is coming off its closest win of the season, beating Rutgers on the road by just 10 points. After the ugly victory over the Scarlet Knights, the Spartans have six games before their next Big Ten matchup to correct any issues.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for December

The first comes Saturday when they face off against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds from the Big Sky. Southern Utah could be a tough test as it’s known to put up some points, but it also hasn’t beaten a power conference opponent this season.

Miles Bridges put together his best game since hurting his ankle a couple weeks earlier, but he didn’t get much help. Jaren Jackson Jr. recorded a career-high eight blocks while it wasn’t all paradise in Piscataway as Nick Ward was benched in the second half. Have differences been resolved?

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Michigan State vs. Southern Utah game:

Date: Saturday, Dec. 9
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go

Keys to victory

Michigan State must, at all costs, defend the 3-point line effectively. The Spartans have gotten burned too much this year because they haven’t been strong against the long-range shot. Southern Utah makes just 35 percent of its 3-pointers, but the Thunderbirds have a couple of dangerous shooters who could make Michigan State pay for lax defense.

On the offensive end, the Spartans must crash the boards. Southern Utah is a poor rebounding team, ranking 216th in the country, and Michigan State needs to work on getting second-chance opportunities. If that happens, this team will be extremely difficult to beat and it will work wonders in the long run.

Southern Utah players to watch

The Thunderbirds began the season 0-2 with losses to Boise State and Oregon State but have since won five out of six games. They are a decent offensive team, averaging 83.5 points per game, but they also allow over 83 per contest. On top of that, the Thunderbirds shoot just 45 percent from the floor. Who should we be watching for?

  • Jadon Cohee — 18.0 points, 3.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds
  • Jamal Aytes — 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 61% FG
  • Brandon Better — 14.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 42% from 3-point range
  • James McGee — 9.9 points, 1.8 steals, 37% from 3-point range
  • Christian Musoko — 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 57% FG

This isn’t a stellar shooting team, but the Thunderbirds can put up some points.

Prediction

Miles Bridges is coming off his best performance since the ankle injury and he’s going to have yet another 20-plus point game and Nick Ward will come back from a tough game at Rutgers to put up 18 points and 12 rebounds. The pair of sophomores will have no issues putting up big numbers against the Thunderbirds and this one will be over by halftime.

Final Score: Southern Utah 54, Michigan State 87

Home/Spartans Basketball