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Michigan State basketball faces critical opportunity vs. Maryland

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball defended by Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball defended by Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball faces a major opportunity on Monday evening with a battle against second-place Big Ten foe Maryland.

Seven games, seven wins. Michigan State remains the only unbeaten team in Big Ten play as in-state rival Michigan dropped its first contest against Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.

Michigan State and Michigan look like the clear top teams in the conference but the third-best team, by just about all accounts, comes to East Lansing on Monday for a big-time battle. The Spartans will face Maryland looking to extend their lead over the Terrapins in the Big Ten standings.

The Terrapins are 7-1 in conference play and are coming off wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State, further proving themselves as contenders.

Tom Izzo wants to see more from his team despite a red-hot start, but would a win over the Terrapins change things in his mind? He’s a perfectionist, so probably not.

Here’s how you can watch Monday’s Michigan State vs. Maryland game:

Date: Monday, Jan. 21
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

If both Kyle Ahrens and Josh Langford are out again, that will mean Cassius Winston needs to be on his ‘A’ game. The junior point guard will need to have yet another big game and protect the ball in order to come away with a win. Cutting the turnovers in half from the past few games will be crucial as teams are starting to hurt the Spartans on points off those mistakes. A cleanly run offense with a lower turnover count and another big game from Cassius will be just what this team needs.

Defensively, shutting down the perimeter will be key. The Spartans struggled a bit over the past few weeks in regards to closing out on 3-point shooters and Maryland is the type of team that could light it up from distance. Keep Anthony Cowan Jr., Eric Ayala and Aaron Wiggins from getting open shots and you’ll see the Spartan defense play as well as it did against Nebraska last Thursday. Will we see another sub-30 percent shooting day from an opponent?

Players to Watch

Maryland doesn’t have the major star power its had in years past with the likes of Kevin Huerter, Diamond Stone and Melo Trimble but the Terrapins, like Michigan State, have a plethora of role players.

  • Anthony Cowan Jr.: 17.9 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 42% FG
  • Bruno Fernando: 14.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 68% FG
  • Jalen Smith: 12.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 51% FG
  • Eric Ayala: 9.2 points, 2.4 assists, 48% 3-point

Next. Report card for MSU win at Nebraska. dark

Prediction

No, this one isn’t going to be a blowout like the rest of the Big Ten games at home have been this season, but Michigan State’s grit will once again be tested. The Spartans will get the Terrapins’ best effort and Mark Turgeon will continue his tough play against Michigan State since joining the conference, but in the end, the Spartans will make enough big shots in clutch time to put the Terrapins away. Anthony Cowan Jr. will give the Spartans a tough time and Bruno Fernando and Nick Ward will have a heck of a battle in the paint.

Final Score: Maryland 70, Michigan State 75

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