Michigan State basketball: 5 bold predictions for Sweet 16 bout vs. LSU

Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions for Sweet 16 matchup vs. LSU

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 23: Cassius Winston #5, Foster Loyer #3, Xavier Tillman #23 and Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate from the bench against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 23, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 23: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a basket against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 23, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

3. Cassius Winston dishes 10-plus assists

All the talk this postseason has been about how Tom Izzo can get Cassius Winston some rest. Well, the first weekend has come and passed and all the Spartans have to worry about is the next two games and then the point guard can get another 4-5 days of light work, practice and rehab before the next slate.

Winning the weekend is top priority, though.

Michigan State must ensure that its talented junior point guard is ready to shoulder the workload against LSU and potentially versus either Virginia Tech or Duke. It won’t be easy, but he’ll gain some momentum on Friday with a 10-plus assist game.

Dishing 10 assists isn’t easy in the college basketball landscape because not all teammates can take advantage of solid passes for what should be easy buckets, but Winston has been lucky to have guys who can shoot and score from anywhere by his side all season.

Winston will finish with 11 assists to go along with 18 points for his second double-double of the postseason — his first coming against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament title game.

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