Michigan State is facing one of its toughest tasks of the season on Thursday night. The Spartans will be at the daunted Mackey Arena for a showdown with the No. 8 Boilermakers.
And there’s a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament on the line.
Right now, Michigan State and Purdue are tied for fourth place in the Big Ten standings and only the top four teams get that coveted triple-bye. A win over the Boilermakers puts the Spartans in the driver’s seat for that fourth triple-bye, but it’s not going to be easy.
Here’s what MSU needs in order to win.
1. Quick start
Michigan State won’t have a snowball’s chance in you know where if it falls behind by double figures early and is tasked with trying to climb out of a big hole at Mackey Arena. There’s just no way.
The Spartans have been guilty of slow starts lately and that needs to stop if they’re going to have any shot of beating Purdue on Thursday night or even Indiana on Sunday afternoon. This will be a really good test to see just how prepared this team is and it’ll show us if the road is really that daunting for this year’s team like it has been to this point.
Get out to a quick start, stay within five or even have a lead at the half, and let Izzo’s second-half adjustments take care of the rest.
2. “Core 4” must show up
Izzo has alluded to his four veterans needing to all show up at the same time in order for Michigan State to have success, and I’d agree. The Spartans have only gotten them to show up at the same time for a few games over the past month (Maryland, Illinois, UCLA).
They all need to be on their ‘A’ games on Thursday.
Michigan State won’t have a shot if two of the four are playing poorly or even if one guy doesn’t show up. The Spartans need all four engaged and chomping at the bit from the get-go.
Carson Cooper, Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears, and Jaxon Kohler need to all have good games.
3. Perimeter defense
Purdue is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten, making 38 percent of its shots from beyond the arc, so that means Michigan State will need to lock down the perimeter to have a shot.
The Boilermakers always seem to shoot about 10 percent higher from deep against Michigan State every time they face off at Mackey, so let’s just say Purdue is almost a 50 percent shooting team from 3-point land. If Michigan State can lock down the perimeter, that greatly limits the offense.
Also, Michigan State’s perimeter defense could help hold Purdue under 70 points and when that happens, the Boilermakers are just 2-3 with two wins by a combined nine points. When Michigan State holds teams under 70 points, it’s 17-2 with two losses by a combined eight points.
Bonus: Play loose
This was kind of an afterthought, but Michigan State plays its best when it’s not overthinking and it’s just defending, rebounding, and running. Playing loose allows the Spartans to play their style and tempo of basketball, and it’s usually a beautiful sight.
Playing loose (not too loose) and confident, and the half-court offense will open up more. I truly believe that.