Michigan State Basketball: Purdue standing in way of perfect week for Spartans

Can Michigan State basketball take care of its third tough team of the week and the second straight on the road? Purdue stands in the way.

The elusive perfect week. No, I’m not talking about winning 2-of-2 games, but that is also a flawless week of basketball, but Michigan State is looking for that rare three-win stretch in a seven-day span. The Spartans have won the past two games by a combined 29 points — and they were both against ranked opponents.

Michigan State made wins against Maryland and at Iowa look relatively easy but arguably the toughest place to play in the Big Ten — or at least a top-three tough place to play — is the next destination for the Spartans.

Purdue stands in the way of Michigan State’s perfect week and a 10-0 start to the Big Ten season. It may not seem like a big deal, but to get through this stretch of games unscathed would be something of a miracle. Not because this team doesn’t have the talent to do so — they are one of the most talented teams in college basketball — but rather because it’s been a gauntlet.

The past six games for MSU would have derailed most teams in the Big Ten, but the Spartans have gone 6-0 with wins at Ohio State, at Penn State, at Nebraska, at Iowa, versus Maryland and Purdue. The Boilermakers will get a shot at revenge Sunday afternoon in West Lafayette after winning four straight games.

Here’s how you can watch Sunday’s Michigan State vs. Purdue game:

Date: Sunday, Jan. 27
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: West Lafayette, Ind.
Venue: Mackey Arena
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live

Keys to Victory

When the Spartans are playing their best basketball, they are making smart, crisp passes through the defense, not turning the ball over. In order to beat Purdue on the road, the Spartans need to play clean basketball and pass players open. That’s what Michigan State did throughout the second half at Iowa and it worked wonders. Expect more of the same on Sunday afternoon.

Obviously shutting Carsen Edwards down is the main priority for the Spartans defensively. Purdue doesn’t have a go-to scorers outside of the senior guard so if Michigan State can eliminate him from the equation like it did the first time around, the Spartans will come out on top. That’s not an easy task, so Tom Izzo will settle for seeing his team shut down the 3-point line.

Players to Watch

Michigan State, namely Matt McQuaid, shut down Edwards the first time around, but don’t expect the Big Ten’s leading scorer to be held silent for two consecutive matchups. The Boilermakers will need Edwards to completely go off in order to upset the Spartans.

• Carsen Edwards: 24.7 points, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 42% FG
• Ryan Cline: 12.4 points, 3.3 assists, 42% 3-point shooting
• Matt Haarms: 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 62% FG

Prediction

Winning in Mackey Arena is not easy and the Spartans will soon find out. This is one of those games that will go back and forth until the final buzzer sounds but a late McQuaid 3-pointer will put the Spartans up for good. Edwards will have a decent game but nowhere near his usual 25-point-per-game self. Expect Michigan State to have its closest Big Ten game of the year and an expected tight end to the week.

Final Score: Michigan State 73, Purdue 71