Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Penn State in Week 14

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MADISON, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 01: Xavier Tillman #23 of the Michigan State Spartans attempts a shot while being guarded by Aleem Ford #2 of the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half at the Kohl Center on February 01, 2020 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

2. Xavier Tillman has perfect bounce-back game

If you logged onto social media during the Wisconsin game on Saturday, you’d know right away who was playing well (Rocket Watts) and who was struggling (Xavier Tillman). Unfortunately, people were relatively harsher on Tillman than they should have been even though he did play arguably the worst game of his life.

Tillman finished with just seven points but did grab 14 rebounds which may not seem all that bad, but when you talk about some of his misses, they were about as easy as could be. He missed a handful of bunnies right around the hoop with chances for Michigan State to tie the game up and his other misses could have given the Spartans a lead.

The junior big man was a mere 3-for-15 from the floor which is extremely uncharacteristic as he shoots 57 percent from inside the arc normally.

Despite all the social media hate, Tillman will likely stay positive because that’s just the kind of kid he is and he’s one of the best leaders on the team. He’s going to translate that into one of his best games of the past two years with a double-double.

Tillman will finish with 20 points and 11 rebounds with four blocks and five assists on 8-of-12 shooting. No hate coming his way.

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