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Michigan State basketball undermanned and looking for revenge at Indiana

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers goes for the loose ball against AAron Henry #11 of the Michigan State Spartans in overtime at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 02: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers goes for the loose ball against AAron Henry #11 of the Michigan State Spartans in overtime at Breslin Center on February 2, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball has had this game circled on the calendar since losing to Indiana a few weeks back, but the Spartans will be undermanned.

When these two teams last met, it seemed fairly certain that Michigan State would handle business against an Indiana team that had lost seven straight games. It didn’t.

If there’s one loss this season that has to hurt more than the rest, it’s the home loss to the Hoosiers rather than the road defeat against then 7-15 Illinois. The Hoosiers had no momentum and they marched into East Lansing in front of College GameDay and stole an improbable overtime win.

Michigan State is out for revenge, but it’ll be without Nick Ward this time around and Matt McQuaid is nursing a sprained ankle. If the Spartans are going to avenge the earlier loss to Indiana, they’ll have to rely on their defense again and hope for a guys like Xavier Tillman, Aaron Henry, Kyle Ahrens and Thomas Kithier step up.

Bloomington is a tough place for visitors but Michigan State has what it takes to go on the road and secure monster wins in Big Ten play — just ask Michigan.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s revenge game at Indiana:

Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Venue: Assembly Hall
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

The Spartans’ post game has taken a bit of a hit with Nick Ward out, so that means they will have to do exactly what they did against Michigan which was rely on Cassius Winston to drive and either look for his shot or pass out for open opportunities. He’s what makes this team’s engine run and he’ll need to have one of his best games of the season against an upset-hungry Indiana team.

We are going to assume McQuaid plays, and if that’s the case, he needs to lock Romeo Langford down. The young freshman is gaining confidence, especially after making the winning basket against Wisconsin. McQuaid did a solid job the first time around, but Langford needs to be held to about 10-15 points if the Spartans want to win this one on the road. That means Aaron Henry and maybe even Gabe Brown need to get into the defensive action to shut him down. Force him to shoot outside jumpers, but don’t give him open looks.

Players to Watch

Indiana may not have the best record this season but the Hoosiers still have a few guys who can cause some problems for the Spartans.

  • Romeo Langford: 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 46% FG shooting
  • Juwan Morgan: 14.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 54% FG shooting
  • Justin Smith: 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 51% FG shooting
  • Aljami Durham: 7.9 points, 38% 3-point shooting
  • Devonte Green: 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals

Next. MSU basketball: Game-by-game predictions for February. dark

Prediction

With McQuaid not likely at 100 percent for this one, the game could be a toss-up and even though Michigan State may be the better team, with or without Ward, it’s going to be another close one. The Spartans will come out strong as Winston sets the tone with a few early 3-pointers and 13 first-half points. He’ll finish the game with 25 as the Spartans escape another upset against the Hoosiers, keeping their Big Ten title hopes alive.

Final Score: Michigan State 73, Indiana 69

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