Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions for rematch at Minnesota

After beating Maryland for the second time in a couple of weeks on Saturday, Michigan State basketball will hit the road on Tuesday to take on a vastly-improved Minnesota team.

The Gophers are 14-7 on the season and right behind Michigan State in the Big Ten standings at 5-5 while the Spartans are 6-5. A win here for either team would be massive and I think Michigan State knows that it probably needs to steal one here on the road in order to remain a comfortable NCAA Tournament team. This is a chance to earn a nice Quad 2 win.

Unfortunately for MSU, Elijah Hawkins will be back after missing the first matchup, but I would be shocked if the Spartans didn't come out prepared.

Let's dive into some bold predictions.

3. Tre Holloman has huge homecoming game

I've thought about this for about three days now. This is the first time since enrolling at Michigan State that Tre Holloman will be headed back to his home-state for a game. He is from Minnesota and the Spartans didn't face the Gophers on the road last season so Holloman didn't get a chance to show off in front of his home-state fans. But he also didn't play as much last year.

Now that he has a major role on this team, he has the opportunity to play at a high level and have an impact on the outcome. I think he'll play around 20-25 minutes and he'll have one of his best games.

In fact, Holloman will finish with 11 points and four assists with no turnovers. He'll hit three massive 3-pointers in this one which will give the Spartans a lead at one point and they may not look back.

On top of that, he's going to play some elite defense and come away with two big steals and a block.

Holloman's return home won't soon be forgotten.