Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Notre Dame in Week 1

By Connor Muldowney

For left, Michigan State's Rocket Watts, Foster Loyer and Aaron Henry joke around on the bench late during the second half of the game against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.201125 Msu Eastern 266a
For left, Michigan State's Rocket Watts, Foster Loyer and Aaron Henry joke around on the bench late during the second half of the game against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.201125 Msu Eastern 266a /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Michigan State basketball
Rocket Watts, Michigan State basketball Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Rocket Watts leads all scorers

The first game of the season was a rough one for Rocket Watts. He came off the bench and played 23 minutes, splitting time with Foster Loyer at the point.

But in those 23 minutes, he had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting. It was clear he was pressing and trying to do too much and Tom Izzo admitted afterward that Watts was frustrated with his play, but didn’t show it. He also said that Watts was ailing with a bruised kneecap which caused him to miss some practice heading into that first game.

Having a disappointing opener like this will only motivate Watts as he’ll have one of his best games as a Spartan, leading all scorers on Saturday night with 22 points on 3-of-7 shooting from deep and 5-of-12 from inside the arc. 8-of-19 shooting and 3-for-3 from the line, Watts will get back on track and head into the Duke game with confidence.

A confident Watts is a scary thought for defenses and if the Spartans can get Watts going against Notre Dame and leading into Duke, this offense is going to be prolific.

Home/Spartans Basketball