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Michigan State basketball faces make-or-break against Minnesota

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket while defended by Juwan Morgan #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers in the first half at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket while defended by Juwan Morgan #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers in the first half at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Michigan State basketball as the Spartans are facing a make-or-break against Minnesota after a three-game skid.

Can Michigan State break out of this slump? The Spartans haven’t lost three straight games since 2016-17 in Cassius Winston and Nick Ward’s freshman season but they’re in the midst of one of their biggest lull since then.

Michigan State lost at Purdue and then followed that up with inexcusable defeats against Indiana at home and at Illinois. Tom Izzo has admitted that his team can’t be tired, but it’s more of an effort thing than anything, and his players have echoed that same sentiment.

Minnesota comes to town on Saturday as the Spartans are looking to snap out of this slump against a team that has been struggling in recent weeks as well. The Golden Gophers are looking for a signature win while Michigan State just wants to get back on track and gain some momentum heading into an even tougher stretch of schedule.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game vs. Minnesota:

Date: Saturday, Feb. 9
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Nick Ward has to get back into the swing of things and the only way to move forward as a team is to get him going in the post. Feed him the ball deep in the post, don’t force any passes, and have him finish with about 15-20 points and out-duel Jordan Murphy. As long as he can put up 20 and 10 rebounds, the Spartans should have that second scorer like they’ve been looking for. Oh, and don’t turn the ball over 20-plus times.

Box out. It’s almost that simple. As long as the Spartans can win the rebounding battle, they should be in good shape, especially keeping the Gophers off the offensive glass. Crash the boards, keep Murphy and Co. off the glass and limit second-chance points and the rest will take care of itself. Michigan State needs to get back to its days of elite effort on the boards.

Players to Watch

Minnesota has a tough time closing out games but the Gophers have some solid contributors who could get hot and stay that way, giving this game an upset feel. The Gophers do, however, struggle from behind the 3-point line. Who should we keep an eye on?

  • Amir Coffey: 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 44% FG shooting
  • Jordan Murphy: 14.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 50% FG shooting
  • Daniel Oturu: 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 59% FG shooting

Next. 5 fixes MSU basketball must make to end skid. dark

Prediction

This one has the feel of a make-or-break matchup for the Spartans. A loss would almost certainly spell the end of Big Ten title hopes but a win could snap this team out of its three-game funk. It could set the Spartans back on the right track, and I think we’ll see a team motivated to end that losing streak, playing up to their normal level, but not quite as dominant as they were before Purdue. Michigan State wins this one thanks to a big bounce-back from Nick Ward and foul trouble by Minnesota’s bigs.

Final Score: Minnesota 61, Michigan State 70

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