Michigan State Basketball: 3 keys to victory against No. 12 Illinois

3 of 4

Feb 5, 2022; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (30) blocks a shot by Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Caleb McConnell (22) during the second half at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Bully Kofi Cockburn down low

Kofi Cockburn should be the No. 1 focus for these Spartans on Saturday. Even though the Spartans lost to Illinois without Cockburn before, he needs to be No. 1 priority. Michigan State needs to double maybe even triple-team Kofi when he gets the ball in his hands.

The Spartans are very deep in the bigs department so rotating guys through and doubling or even triple-teaming him shouldn’t be an issue. When Cockburn gets the ball in his hands, he is only looking for two things and that is to shoot or draw a foul. In 20 games, Cockburn has played to this point, recording just 17 assists to his name. He does not pass the ball so the Spartans can afford to double-team him when he gets the ball.

Michigan State also needs to make Cockburn earn the points he gets from the line. The Spartans are deep in the bigs department and can afford to have those guys foul Kofi at times to make him earn those points. This will help the Spartans because he is only a 64 percent shooter from the line.

If the Spartans can bully Cockburn down low and throw him off his game, they will put themselves in a great position to win this game.

Home/Spartans Basketball