Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Illinois in first game of 2020

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EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 29: Rocket Watts #2 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against B. Artis White #3 of the Western Michigan Broncos in the first half at Breslin Center on December 29, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

2. Rocket Watts scores in double figures

When Cassius Winston was out against Western Michigan, Rocket Watts was tasked with picking up the slack in his first game back even though he came off the bench and played just 13 minutes. It was a good test for him to see if he could shake off some rust after missing four games and run the point guard spot occasionally, and he did both exceedingly well.

The freshman guard played solid defense as well, but his main contributions were on the offensive end with nine points and five assists on 4-of-7 shooting.

Cassius will likely be back on Thursday night against Illinois, but that doesn’t mean Watts is going to fade back into nothingness. He’ll be primed and ready to build on his performance against Western Michigan and he’ll score 13 points off the bench for the Spartans.

This is exactly what Michigan State needs from the freshman guard moving forward. While it’s nice relying on Cassius for some offense here and there, the Spartans can’t be overly dependent and that’s where Watts’ scoring ability comes into play.

Watts will have one of his best games of the season as he’ll also shoot over 50 percent for the second straight game.

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