Michigan State Basketball: Final score predictions vs. Bucknell
Michigan State basketball will be taking on Bucknell on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Can the Spartans hold off the Bison?
Downtown Detroit will be a bit more crowded than usual on Friday night as Michigan State fans are set to pack the streets and Little Caesars Arena for a first-round bout with 14-seeded Bucknell.
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Michigan State is preparing for a tough battle against the Bison who won 18-of-19 games heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Patriot League champs are going to give the Spartans all they can handle, and more, but will it be enough to pull off the mammoth upset?
Can the Spartans stave off the upset-minded Bison?
Connor Muldowney: This one’s going to be tough. Bucknell is hungry and has three talented seniors leading the way. Experience is a scary thing to face in the tourney and the Spartans are going to get just that. Michigan State is definitely a more talented and deeper team, but that doesn’t matter much in the NCAA Tournament. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nick Ward are going to be the difference as the Spartans stave off an upset — just barely.
Final Score: Bucknell 68, Michigan State 73
Adam Zdroik: Given how Michigan State has played this season, I won’t be comfortable against any opponent it faces. The Bison have a bevy of shooters and a deep enough team to give the Spartans fits. Stephen Brown may be small, but his quickness could be an issue for Cassius Winston defensively. Of course, they may start with a 6-foot-3 freshman guarding Miles Bridges and that’s where things fall apart for Bucknell. Nick Ward will control his matchup with Nana Foulland, while Jaren Jackson will contain Bucknell’s best player Zach Thomas. No one is comfortable, but this will be a win… I think.
Final Score: Bucknell 66, Michigan State 78
Stephen Robb: This is a tough game to call. Yes, former president Barack Obama picked MSU to win it all but this is a deceptively good Bucknell team that can sneak up on an opponent. Last year the Bison took West Virginia to the wire. I suspect this will be a similarly close game. MSU has too much talent to lose but Bucknell will put a scare in them.
Final Score: Bucknell 77, Michigan State 78
Michael Briggs: Michigan State’s record-breaking regular season may never be fully appreciated. Despite ongoing distractions, the Spartans compiled a 29-4 record and an outright conference title, lost to just three teams and suffered no major upsets all season. For MSU, it’s all about the NCAA Tournament, however.
Fair or not, this Spartans team is facing more pressure to win it all than any ever before, which could be a defining factor in either their success or failure. MSU cannot look past its first-round opponent, Bucknell, however. The Bison won 18 of their last 19 games, have capable and willing shooters from three-point range and average over 81 points per game. That certainly sounds like a good recipe for an upset — something the 2005 Bison team pulled off over three-seed Kansas.
After a disappointing loss to rival Michigan in the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans will be too focused to suffer a similar fate, however. I expect MSU to play with a lot of swagger, sending a reminder to the college hoops world that it’s a serious contender to cut down the nets. Miles Bridges and Nick Ward will pace the Spartans and Jaren Jackson Jr. will flash with a handful of highlight-worthy blocks and dunks.
On to the next one.
Final Score: Bucknell 67, Michigan State 83
Cory Linsner: Don’t let the 3/14 line fool you, Michigan State is in for a dog fight on Friday night. Bucknell is an upperclassman-heavy team that has been in the tourney before. Last year the Bison nearly upset West Virginia, narrowly losing 86-80. They are back this year looking to make amends at the expense of MSU.
Bucknell is a good 3-point shooting team, and can score in bunches. Michigan State will need to limit their threes and they should be in good shape. The Spartans also need to exploit the glaring weakness the Bison have: size. Bucknell is a small team that doesn’t rebound well, as long as MSU can rebound defensively, and crash the offensive boards they will hold a huge advantage.
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Offensively, State will need to exploit the Bison lack of size in the post and use Bridges, Ward, and Jackson effectively to make a living in the paint. Do these things, and MSU can avoid another heartbreaking upset.
Final Score: Bucknell 71, Michigan State 79