Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions for December 2019

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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 26: Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans lays the ball in ahead of Amanze Ngumezi #25 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

2. Xavier Tillman bounces back in a big way

November was not that kind to Xavier Tillman. Although he averaged a double-double with just over 12 points and 10 rebounds per game, it’s safe to say he struggled to live up to the hype.

For the first time in his career, he was expected to be ‘the guy’ in the post and that pressure may have gotten to him as he pressed too much, missed a lot of easy shots, didn’t have much of a back-to-the-basket game and was constantly out-muscled in the post. His debut as the main presence in the post wasn’t great.

There were a couple of games where he lived up to the lofty expectations, but the consistency just wasn’t there. That will change this month.

As we enter December, Tillman is facing plenty of pressure to be great and he knows what he needs to do. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team and his motor is endless. He will live up to the hype and rebound in a big way with another double-double average month, but this time he’ll be averaging over 15 points and shooting over 50 percent from the floor.

Tillman will start to look for his own shot in the post again and we will see a much more aggressive player down low.

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