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Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions for second-round Duke battle

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 18, 2022; Greenville, SC, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (30) and the Michigan State Spartans bench celebrate during the second half against the Davidson Wildcats during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2022; Greenville, SC, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (30) and the Michigan State Spartans bench celebrate during the second half against the Davidson Wildcats during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball has a huge matchup with Duke and Coach K one final time on Sunday night. Will the Spartans end Coach K’s career?

Michigan State escaped an upset in the first round against a familiar face in Foster Loyer and Davidson, sneaking by the Wildcats 74-73.

The final score was much closer than the game truly was in the last couple of minutes as Davidson was hitting some threes to make it much tighter, but the Spartans had the game in hand.

Tom Izzo is hoping for a complete performance against Duke in the most important game of the Spartans’ season. This is the last time Izzo will meet with Coach K and he has won two of the last three matchups after starting his career against the Duke legend with a 1-11 record.

Let’s get bold ahead of the last Izzo vs. Coach K installment.

3. AJ Hoggard finishes with a double-double

Playing in a down ACC this season, Duke hasn’t quite seen a point guard like AJ Hoggard. He’s one of the most aggressive and strongest point guards in the Big Ten and he’s going to be a tough matchup for the Blue Devils.

Against Foster Loyer and Davidson, Hoggard took advantage of the size mismatch and scored 14 points with a couple of assists and he made some big layups late in the game which helped seal the win for the Spartans.

In the game before Davidson, Hoggard scored a season-high 17 points with 10 assists and no turnovers. He’s going to have his second double-double in three games against Duke.

Hoggard will finish with 12 points and 11 assists with a few turnovers but it’s going to be one of his most complete games of the season and it should put this team in a good spot.

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