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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. ULM

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 11: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball while defended by Troy Baxter Jr #1 of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the first half at Breslin Center on November 11, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 11: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball while defended by Troy Baxter Jr #1 of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the first half at Breslin Center on November 11, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball is coming off its first win of the 2018-19 season but can the Spartans make it two in a row against UL-Monroe?

If the second half against Kansas and win over Florida Gulf Coast are any indication, Michigan State (1-1) is going to have one heck of a season, at least on the offensive end.

In the three halves since that ugly season-opening half against Kansas, the Spartans have scored over 50 points twice and 47 in the third half. Unlike the football team, the offense doesn’t seem to be the problem, but the defense is causing Tom Izzo to talk about doing some drills with pads on to toughen his guys up.

Louisiana Monroe (2-1) comes to town on Wednesday evening after putting up a decent fight against Texas, but things won’t come so easy in East Lansing. The Warhawks are coming off a 16-16 season a year ago and return three starters. Though they’re not favorites to win the Sun Belt, they have enough defense and all-conference candidates.

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

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 14
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: BTN+
Live Stream: ESPN+ or BTN2Go

Keys to Victory

Louisiana-Monroe is more of a defensive squad than most, allowing just 61 points per game. In their two wins, the Warhawks are allowing a field goal percentage of just 37 percent and have held those two opponents to an 11-of-39 rate on 3-pointers. Michigan State must break that mold, finding open shots like it did against FGCU. The Spartans must space the floor and hit Nick Ward in the post and once he gets that double-team, he needs to find either Xavier Tillman or kick it back out for open threes. Work the offense through Ward and the rest will take care of itself.

Defensively, the Warhawks are a decent shooting 3-point squad, but are just average inside the arc. Like the Spartans needed to do against Florida Gulf Coast, they need to lock down the perimeter and force the Warhawks inside. However, cutting off the backdoor cuts will be imperative and that’s what killed MSU versus the Eagles. Shut down Travis Munnings and the Spartans should run away with this one.

Players to Watch

Louisiana-Monroe is led by Munnings, an All-Sun Belt candidate and potential conference player of the year, as well as sophomore guard Michael Ertel and Wichita State transfer Daishon Smith who has been a pleasant surprise this season. Defense comes first, though.

  • Daishon Smith: 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 59% FG, 75% 3-point
  • Travis Munnings: 14.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 43% FG
  • Michael Ertel: 14.7 points, 2.7 assists, 46% FG

Next. MSU basketball: 10 bold predictions for 2018-19. dark

Prediction

Though Louisiana-Monroe isn’t a pushover, Michigan State’s offense has been on fire for three consecutive halves, dating back to the second half against Kansas. Cassius Winston and Nick Ward will lead the way while Josh Langford, too, will score in double-figures. Michigan State will take a big lead into the half and just coast in the final 20 minutes, much to the displeasure of Tom Izzo.

Final Score: ULM 64, Michigan State 87

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