Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons Spartans will beat Oakland in Week 6

2. Multiple players heating up at the same time

The Spartans have a number of players catching fire at the right time heading into Saturday’s matchup. Just who has been playing well in recent games? Cassius Winston, Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward have all been putting on shows for the green and white and that momentum will carry into this one and lead the Spartans over the Golden Grizzlies with ease.

Let’s start with Winston. The sophomore point guard has improved in just about every metric from last season. He’s shooting better, passing better, defending more effectively and holding onto the ball. In fact, he’s shooting a red-hot 61 percent from 3-point range and has 6.7 assists to just 2.3 steals per game.

Bridges was slow to gain confidence after coming back from a sprained ankle injury and he is finally looking like himself again. He’s scoring almost at will and his jumper is on point. He’s still not where he needs to be, but his last two games have been impressive.

Jackson Jr. has been a shot-blocking machine. He has 13 total over his last two games and even recorded a double-double last time out. This kid is slowly maturing into an All-American talent and will be a huge mismatch for Oakland.

Lastly, Ward has been red-hot all year, but doesn’t get the type of minutes he deserves. He’s scoring 13.7 points, grabbing 6.1 rebounds and swatting 1.5 shots in just over 17 minutes per game and has been picking up steam lately. Oh yeah, and he’s making 64 percent of his shots.

It seems like everyone’s getting hot at the same time.