Penn State comes to town on Tuesday night as Michigan State basketball needs a win to gain some momentum before a tough mid-season stretch.
A loss at a majorly undermanned Wisconsin team on Saturday has the fanbase doubting the mental makeup of this Michigan State team on the road, but the Spartans get a chance to silence the doubters this week with a home game against Penn State on Tuesday and then a road game at Michigan over the weekend.
If Michigan State can go 2-0 this week, we might see more conversations about a No. 3 or No. 2 seed.
The Spartans need to step it up starting with the Nittany Lions on Tuesday night and Penn State might just be the hottest team in conference play. If Michigan State wants to win the Big Ten title, beating a team like the Nittany Lions is crucial.
What could we see on Tuesday night from this matchup?
3. Aaron Henry has a big day
It seems that whenever Aaron Henry disappears and has one of his worst games, he follows it up with one of his better outings. So is this really that bold of a prediction? Yes, because he’s had a couple straight average performances.
Henry came off the bench at Minnesota and played really well, scoring nine points, but since then, he’s scored 11 points with seven rebounds and seven assists in two games while shooting 4-for-15 from the floor. He has also turned the ball over four times in the two games and has been hesitant to hunt for his own shot.
Tom Izzo doesn’t want Henry to shy away from looking for his own shot even when he’s struggling and that confidence that the Hall of Fame coach has in him will pay off on Tuesday night against Penn State.
Henry will finish with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists while stealing a couple of passes and shooting over 50 percent from the floor.