Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons Spartans will beat Michigan in Week 10

Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons the Spartans will beat Michigan in Week 10

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Nick Ward #44 and Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate from the bench during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 4: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his made basket during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

4. The Spartans’ depth will come into play

While Michigan has pieces that can come off the bench and have an impact, the Spartans just have a little more depth and that will show on Saturday. A year ago, the post was basically Nick Ward and Kenny Goins and the Spartans couldn’t keep up with the Wolverines’ 3-point barrage in Ann Arbor — they didn’t hold an advantage anywhere, really.

This season, Michigan State has depth in the post and some wing players who can give quality minute off the bench such as Matt McQuaid and Goins is now playing that role of small forward.

On top of that, Cassius Winston and Tum Tum Nairn each have different styles of play that can catch defenses off guard and I think the latter will give the Wolverines trouble. No one gives Nairn much credit for his ability to speed up the game and make defenses play at the Spartans’ tempo.

Gavin Schilling, Ben Carter and Xavier Tillman will also log quality minutes off the bench and they’re going to make like difficult for the Wolverines, wearing them out down the stretch. The Spartans’ depth will be a major factor in this one — especially in the post.

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