Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions vs. Illinois on Senior Night

4. Josh Langford shakes his mini slump

As one of the Spartans’ five starters who receives more flak than he should, Josh Langford has been relatively even-keeled throughout the season. He doesn’t let slumps affect him as much as other young players around the country and he can score six points one night on 3-of-10 shooting and then drop 15 the next on 7-of-10 makes.

Langford is a streaky shooter who is currently in the middle of a slump. For the second time this season, both occurring during Big Ten play, Langford has record less than 10 points in three straight games. He’s hoping to avoid a fourth straight, although he doesn’t always look to get his own shots up.

The sophomore wing did make some big shots against Northwestern in the epic comeback on Saturday and even though he made just 3-of-10, he could use his huge second-half 3-pointer as a momentum-builder — and he’s going to do just that against Illinois.

In the last meeting with Illinois, Langford was 4-of-8 from the field and finished with nine points. This time out, he’ll finish 7-of-12 with 16 points and six rebounds. For a wing, he’s extremely underrated on the glass, and he will come up with some big offensive boards which will lead to second-chance points against Illinois.

Busting his slump will be great news for Michigan State as the NCAA Tournament approaches.