With a trip to the 2018 Big Ten Tournament final on the line, Michigan State basketball will face off against Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
Who would have though the 2017-18 season would have panned out this well for Michigan State? The Spartans may have lost to Michigan at home, which stung, but they will get their chance to exact revenge on the Wolverines on Saturday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
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There’s plenty riding on this game, including a Quadrant I win for both teams. Michigan State has a chance to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference tourney while Michigan could rise to as high as a No. 3, maybe a No. 2, seed.
This could be one of the best games of the Big Ten season, but who gets the last laugh?
Connor Muldowney: Rivalry games are always toss-ups, which is why the Wolverines were able to shock everyone earlier in the year with a road win over Michigan State. The Spartans haven’t forgotten that one as they were out-toughed, out-matched, out-coached and out-played their rivals at home. This one will be much closer than the 10-point defeat and it’ll come down to the final minute with the Spartans getting revenge. Cassius Winston will hit a late 3-pointer to put the Spartans on top for good.
Final Score: Michigan 73, Michigan State 76
Stephen Robb: Michigan State finally gets a rematch. The Spartans lost last time at the Breslin Center 82-72. MSU did not have an answer for Michigan’s Moritz Wagner. However, this Spartan squad is in a different place now. Role players like Matt McQuad and Xavier Tillman are stepping up. Cassius Winston is becoming a clutch player and possibly MSU’s go-to guy down the stretch. Spartans pull out another close one.
Final Score: Michigan 77, Michigan State 78
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Adam Zdroik: I’ll only watch this game if Gene Steratore refs. I thought the Spartans had the matchup advantage in the first game but was clearly mistaken. However, Winston and Langford are playing much better defense as of late and Winston is in attack mode. Give me the deeper and talented team to get revenge on a hot Wolverines squad. As long as they don’t make 20 threes. Fingers crossed.
Final Score: Michigan 76, Michigan State 79