Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Louisiana-Monroe comes to town following Michigan State basketball’s first win of the season. Will the Spartans take care of one of the Sun Belt’s best?

Yes, it’s that time of the season when Michigan State will be shuffling through lesser-known mid-majors, prepping for the start of Big Ten play.

With the Champions Classic in the rearview mirror and a loss to No. 1 Kansas under their belts, the Spartans have to rebound before the Las Vegas Invitational when they’ll meet No. 20 UCLA. What better way to prepare for a ranked battle than with some confidence-boosting games?

Louisiana-Monroe (2-1), from the Sun Belt, will be in town on Wednesday evening for a mid-week matchup. The Warhawks are far from typical mid-major pushovers — going 16-16 a year ago and bringing back three starters — but Michigan State should win this game easily.

What can we expect from the matchup in game three?

5. Marcus Bingham Jr. scores 10 points

There was an intriguing feel about Marcus Bingham Jr. even in limited time on Sunday evening against Florida Gulf Coast.

The freshman “big” man was 2-for-4 from the field, hitting a couple of 3-pointers, showing an impressive stroke from long-range. This could be a sign of things to come and with the Spartans playing well in another blowout, Bingham Jr. will see the court for 10-plus minutes for the first time in his career.

Bingham Jr. has played just seven total minutes on the season, but he has made the most of his time on the court, scoring six points with two rebounds and two blocks. He’s going to top that total in just one game as he reaches double figures in the scoring column against ULM.

Could this be the start of the rise to the 6-foot-11 freshman’s stardom?