Michigan State Basketball: Final score predictions vs. Purdue in Week 14
Michigan State basketball is getting set to host No. 3 Purdue in a major Big Ten showdown on Saturday evening. Who wins?
Purdue will be in East Lansing on Sunday evening for a big-time conference showdown against Michigan State. The top-five matchup is arguably the most anticipated Big Ten matchup of the season and the Spartans have had this one circled on their calendars.
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Tom Izzo’s team needs to add a big win to its resume. The Spartans have two top-10 wins this year, but lately North Carolina and Notre Dame haven’t been playing well — downgrading the strength of those victories.
Can Michigan State come up with a big win against No. 3 Purdue? The Spartan Avenue staff has weighed in.
Connor Muldowney: This is going to be one of those intense Big Ten battles. Michigan State and Purdue are two tough teams that like to run the offense through the post and both shoot over 42 percent from 3-point range. The defenses are solid as well, making this about as evenly-matched as one could imagine. Miles Bridges is going to cause problems for Dakota Mathias, though, and he will go off for 20-plus points, including a crucial 3-pointer near the end of the game to pull out the close win.
Final Score: Purdue 76, Michigan State 79
Stephen Robb: The Purdue game is a watershed, season-defining one for the Spartans. Purdue is a team that is peaking at the right time. Michigan State has struggled, but in fairness the Spartans have gotten every team’s best shot. I’m still waiting for this MSU team to play its best basketball. Nick Ward has to step up for the Spartans to win. Purdue’s bigs are matchup nightmares. If Ward can stay out of foul trouble and the Spartans’ 3-point game is good then they have a good chance to pull this one out.
Final Score: Purdue 76, Michigan State 77
Michael Briggs: When Michigan State welcomes Purdue to the Breslin Center on Saturday, the Spartans will play their first ranked team since Nov. 30, when they hosted then-No. 5 Notre Dame. Both Ohio State and Michigan are now top-25 squads, but neither were ranked when the Spartans played them. As we all know, Michigan State lost to both of those teams, anyway.
While MSU did its best to schedule tough non-conference opponents, wins over North Carolina, UConn and Notre Dame won’t boost its tournament resume like it hoped. A top-heavy Big Ten has not helped the Spartans’ strength of schedule, either. Considering all of this, MSU’s battle with the third-ranked Boilermakers will be especially important.
To pull of the win, Michigan State will need to find a way to limit Purdue big man Isaac Haas without getting into foul trouble. If Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. find themselves on the bench early, a sight we’ve seen too often this season, MSU will be in loads of trouble. Perimeter defense will also be important. Did the worst version of this MSU defense stay behind in Iowa City? I think so.
Final Score: Purdue 70, Michigan State 76
Adam Zdroik: This is the game Michigan State fans have been waiting for. Will the Spartans finally put things together and get a good Big Ten win? They’ll have to figure out how to stop Isaac Haas and that will most likely be through double teams. There’s also a problem of defending Carsen Edwards, and Josh Langford will get first crack at it.
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Offensively, Nick Ward needs to draw fouls on Haas and Jaren Jackson has to use size to his advantage over Vincent Edwards. At the end of the day, things still depend on Miles Bridges and Cassius Winston. If those guys are attacking and the rest are getting offensive boards, that’s how you beat Purdue.
Final Score: Purdue 75, Michigan State 79