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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Maryland in Week 12

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket defended by Kevin Huerter #4 of the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket defended by Kevin Huerter #4 of 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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Michigan State basketball will play its third game of Week 12 against Maryland on Sunday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know.

It’s been a crazy 48 hours for Michigan State. It almost didn’t feel like there was a basketball game on Friday night against Wisconsin in East Lansing. There were rumors swirling about potential retirements of Mark Dantonio and Tom Izzo following a report from Outside the Lines and ESPN documenting crimes off the court over the past decade.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 reasons not to panic after Michigan loss

The Spartans were able to beat Wisconsin by a comfortable margin, 76-61, and will look to win their fourth straight game on Sunday by taking down Maryland on the road.

The first time these two teams met in East Lansing at the beginning of January, the Spartans came away with a 91-61 victory, but road games in the Big Ten are never easy. Michigan State must win, though, to keep its Big Ten title hopes alive.

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

Date: Sunday, Jan. 28
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: College Park, Md.
Venue: Xfinity Center
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live

Keys to victory

Michigan State must shut down that 3-point line from players like Kevin Huerter and Anthony Cowan. The Terrapins shoot 39 percent from long range and Michigan State has been burned more often than not from deep than from inside the arc. Hold the Terrapins to under 35 percent shooting from deep and the Spartans should be just fine.

On the offensive side, feeding Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the post will be crucial as the Terrapins don’t have anyone who can truly shut those two down. Miles Bridges might need to have another 20-point performance.

Maryland players to watch

In the first matchup between Michigan State and Maryland, Huerter and Cowan scored a majority of the Terrapins’ points in a 30-point loss. Outside of those two, who else should we be watching for on Sunday?

  • Anthony Cowan — 16.4 points, 4.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 39% 3-point shooting
  • Kevin Huerter — 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 47% 3-point shooting
  • Bruno Fernando — 9.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 60% FG shooting
  • Michal Cekovsky — 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 66% FG shooting

Next: MSU Basketball: Top 7 targets to watch in 2019 class

Prediction

This isn’t going to be an easy matchup for the Spartans. Outside of all the distractions off the court, the team will be playing its fourth game in 10 days and third in the past seven. Michigan State will showcase some fatigue and that’ll come back to bite the Spartans against the Terrapins on the road. It’s never easy to win in College Park, especially with the grueling schedule recently. Miles Bridges will score 20-plus points for the fourth straight game, keeping it close down the stretch, but Cowan will be too much.

Final Score: Michigan State 73, Maryland 76

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