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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Penn State in Week 13

By Connor Muldowney

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans puts ups a shot in front of Grant Hazle #22 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans puts ups a shot in front of Grant Hazle #22 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball is getting ready to host Penn State on Wednesday evening and here’s everything you need to know for the matchup.

Currently riding a four-game winning streak and coming off arguably the best win of the Big Ten season, Michigan State looks to be turning a corner. Following losses against Michigan and Ohio State in a three-game span, the Spartans are rounding into form and they’re playing exceptionally well.

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Tom Izzo has been vocal about his positive thoughts following Sunday’s come-from-behind win at Maryland. His team was down by 13 points at the half and erased that deficit within five minutes of the second half. Michigan State improved to 20-3 on the year and 8-2 in Big Ten play.

Michigan State is getting set to host a Penn State team which gave the Spartans trouble during the regular season last year in one meeting, but they avenged that loss with a 27-point win in the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions are fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth and are coming off a win over Ohio State in Columbus.

Wednesday night’s game against Penn State isn’t going to be a cakewalk, by any means.

Here’s how you can watch Wednesday’s Michigan State vs. Penn State game:

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 31
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go

Keys to victory

Michigan State needs to hit the glass just like it did against Maryland. The Nittany Lions have a couple of players in Mike Watkins and Lamar Stevens who rebound the ball well and in order to hold off second-chance point opportunities, Michigan State needs to win the rebound battle in a big way. Penn State has been known to give teams fits on the glass.

Offensively, attacking the post will be important. Getting Mike Watkins into foul trouble is going to be a key while Cassius Winston’s ability to avoid the turnover bug will be important, too. Getting Miles Bridges involved in driving situations will play a role as well. Make sure the post touches the ball or Michigan State drives the lane on a regular basis.

Penn State players to watch

No, Penn State isn’t going to go down easily and Michigan State should be weary of a strong battle which the Nittany Lions will forge against the Spartans. There’s a reason this team beat Ohio State in Columbus last week — it wasn’t a fluke.

  • Tony Carr — 19.8 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 46% 3-point shooting
  • Lamar Stevens — 15.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 46% FG shooting
  • Mike Watkins — 13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 68% FG shooting
  • Josh Reaves — 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals, 53% FG shooting
  • Shep Garner — 10.4 points, 42% 3-point shooting

Outside of these five players, there are only two guys on the roster who average more than 10 minutes per game.

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Prediction

Penn State has lost just one Big Ten game by double digits, proving that it’s not easy to put this scrappy team away. The Nittany Lions continue to get better each season and they’ll give the Spartans a tough test on Wednesday. However, Michigan State has the depth to wear down the essentially seven-player deep team. Jaren Jackson Jr. will have another big game as will Nick Ward. Miles Bridges will bounce back from a rough game against Maryland to score 20 against the Nittany Lions in a strong win.

Final Score: Penn State 63, Michigan State 74

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