Michigan State basketball kicks off its Feast Week with a matchup against 2-3 East Carolina at the Fort Myers Tip-Off down in Florida on Tuesday afternoon.
The 1 p.m. ET start is a little different than what Michigan State fans are used to during Feast Week, but it’s definitely welcomed. This is much better than the late starts Michigan State got a season ago in Maui. This afternoon tip-off will be a nice warm-up before Thursday’s main event: a matchup against No. 16 North Carolina.
So without further ado, let’s get bold.
1. Jaxon Kohler records another gaudy double-double
A few games ago, Jaxon Kohler put up one of the most insane stat lines that I’ve seen from a Michigan State big in a long time. He recorded 17 points and 18 rebounds in a winning effort against San Jose State, and he made it look relatively easy. Heck, he almost out-rebounded San Jose State all by himself.
Against another mediocre rebounding team on Tuesday, I’m going to predict another gaudy performance by Kohler, racking up 15 boards to go along with 16 points.
He’s going to be a double-double machine this season.
2. Jeremy Fears Jr. has 10-plus assists and one turnover
Speaking of gaudy, Jeremy Fears Jr.’s numbers right now are insane. The sophomore point guard is averaging 10.4 assists per game, which leads the nation, but he’s also kept his turnover numbers down — they’re at 2.0 per game. That 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the best in the country and honestly, one of the best I’ve seen at MSU.
While that may be nearly impossible to keep up, he’s still going to put up some crazy numbers against inferior opponents whenever he gets the chance.
Fears will finish with 11 assists to go along with 10 points, but the most impressive number will be his one singular turnover. That’s a heck of a ratio.
3. Michigan State finally covers the spread
Michigan State opens as a 22.5-point favorite on Tuesday afternoon, and the Spartans are 0-3 against the spread against unranked teams. While that doesn’t mean a whole lot, it does to some fans who consistently bet Michigan State to cover.
Well, that’s finally going to happen on Tuesday against East Carolina.
The Pirates don’t match up well with the Spartans — at all — and this has the makings of one of those heavily lopsided games, like a Detroit Mercy matchup. It might be close early on, but I see Michigan State up by 15 at the half, and then they’ll extend that to 25 by the final buzzer.
Michigan State covers, 82- 57.