Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions for battle at No. 20 Penn State
Two regular season games stand between Michigan State basketball and the postseason. Will the Spartans take care of Penn State on Tuesday?
Michigan State knew this final stretch of games wouldn’t be easy. The Spartans have faced back-to-back ranked opponents and four ranked foes in the past five games. That schedule doesn’t get any easier on Tuesday night with Michigan State traveling to State College to face No. 20 Penn State.
The Nittany Lions have been one of the bigger surprises in the conference this season and Pay Chambers has put together a Big Ten Coach of the Year type of campaign.
In the first meeting between these two teams, the Nittany Lions bested the Spartans in East Lansing, but you can bet the green and white are looking for revenge — just like they did against Maryland — with first place in the Big Ten potentially on the line.
Will the Spartans pull even closer to first place in the Big Ten?
3. Cassius Winston records double-double
It hasn’t happened nearly as much as people expected this season and that’s because the Spartans don’t have as many perimeter threats as they did a year ago with Matt McQuaid and Kenny Goins while also having a bruiser in the post with Nick Ward, but Cassius Winston will reach the 10-assist mark on Tuesday.
Winston has been turning the ball over a little too much this season and it’s because he’s gone for the home-run pass which has eluded him often. He’s trying to push fast-breaks and make a pass that could turn into a “kill shot” for the Spartans, but instead tosses the ball out of bounds.
That happened on Saturday against Maryland quite a bit as he turned the ball over seven times with just six assists. He’ll get back on track against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State is a solid defensive team, but Winston continues to learn from his mistakes and he’ll cut the turnovers down to two with 11 assists on Tuesday night as the offense remains hot. He’ll also chip in around 19 points, shooting over 50 percent from the field. It’ll be one of the better performances of the season for the All-American.