Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Oregon in PKI

Michigan State basketball tipped off the Phil Knight Invitational with some bad news as Malik Hall was ruled out for the game and for the next few weeks with a stress reaction in his foot.

Even worse was the fact that he wasn’t going to be the only starter out as Jaden Akins, too, would likely be held out of at least one game (likely the entire tournament).

Alabama was able to take advantage of the short-handed Spartans and come away with an 81-70 win, really wearing Michigan State down in the second half.

Now Michigan State will get Oregon.

Will the Spartans bounce back? Let’s get bold.

3. Jaxon Kohler approaches a double-double

We saw some really good flashes from Jaxon Kohler on Thursday night as he finished with six points and seven rebounds. He was hustling, making nice plays on both ends, and showing why he deserves more minutes with Malik Hall out.

Although he was just 3-for-8 from the floor, I think we’re going to see his offense improve drastically as the confidence continues to rise.

Friday night against Oregon, he’s going to have his best game as a Spartan, scoring 10 points with eight rebounds, really approaching double-double territory.

Kohler will be one of the bright spots for MSU in this tournament.