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

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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Mar 12, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Max Christie (5) shoots the ball while Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Max Christie has his best game in months

The last time Max Christie had a big game for Michigan State, he was scoring 16 points in a nice win in the Big Ten Tournament over Maryland. Before that, he had been in a massive slump.

It’s safe to say that Christie hit a freshman wall, as Tom Izzo would call it, and he went from winning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors regularly to struggling mightily to even shoot 40 percent from the floor or score in double figures.

Christie has been quiet since that breakout game against Maryland, scoring a total of 19 points on 6-of-21 shooting over the past three games.

Not only will Christie break out and score in double figures against one of the teams that recruited him the hardest, but he’ll have his best game since January and approach 20 points.

Michigan State needs this performance from him.

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