Michigan State basketball is looking for a bounce-back performance against Indiana on Saturday night. Can we expect just that?
Seven straight losses have plagued Indiana while Michigan State’s first loss has been a new feeling for the Spartans this season who had been perfect in Big Ten play. The Spartans dropped to 9-1 in conference action while the Hoosiers are near the bottom of the conference standings at 3-7 and looking for a stoppage to the bleeding.
They’re hoping that comes on Saturday night as College GameDay comes to town for the Big Ten battle between the Hoosiers and Spartans.
Can we expect an Indiana upset to get the Hoosiers back on track or will the Spartans avoid their first losing streak of the season with a strong bounce-back win?
5. Matt McQuaid holds Romeo Langford to 10 points
The Defensive Player of the Year race will have a serious candidate after Saturday’s game as Matt McQuaid will be tasked with slowing down stud freshman Romeo Langford who just so happens to lead the Hoosiers in scoring at 17.3 points per game.
And he’ll do just that.
The senior captain has shut down Carsen Edwards twice this season as well as James Palmer Jr. in Lincoln, making a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball. He had always been regarded as a shooter, but this adds another dimension to the guard’s game and makes him that much more dangerous.
McQuaid will shut Langford down, keeping him to just 10 points on 30 percent shooting and his frustrations will shine through as he’ll foul out as well.
There may be no better stopper of wing scorers in the entire conference than McQuaid and Tom Izzo continues to rely on his senior captain to get the job done. He’s having one heck of a final year in East Lansing.