Michigan State basketball at Minnesota tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction

Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal
·4 min read
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, right, talks with Jaden Akins during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Toledo, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 81-68.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, right, talks with Jaden Akins during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Toledo, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 81-68.

• What: Michigan State at Minnesota

• When: 9 p.m. Wednesday

• Where: Williams Arena, Minneapolis

• TV/Radio: Big Ten Network/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; Sirius/XM Ch. 382 (MSU broadcast)

• Records/Rankings: MSU is 7-2 and ranked No. 19 in the latest Associated Press poll and No. 20 in USA Today Coaches poll. Minnesota is 7-0 and unranked. This is the Big Ten opener for both teams.

• Coaches: MSU — Tom Izzo is 650-256 in his 27th season as a head coach, all with the Spartans. Minnesota — Ben Johnson is 7-0 in his first season as a head coach.

• Series: MSU leads 63-58 all-time and had won four straight in the series before its trip to Minneapolis last season, when the Gophers destroyed the Spartans, 81-56, in their only meeting last year.

• Betting line: MSU -5.5

Lineups

MSU

C (30) Marcus Bingham Jr. (7-0) 10.6

PF (10) Joey Hauser (6-9) 6.4

SF (44) Gabe Brown (6-8) 12.9

SG (1) Max Christie (6-6) 8.9

PG (0) Tyson Walker (6-0) 5.8

Minnesota

C (01) Eric Curry (6-9) 7.6

F (10) Jamison Battle (6-7) 17.9

G (12) Luke Loewe (6-4) 6.9

G (20) Eylijah Stephens (6-3) 11.1

G (00) Payton Willis (6-4) 17.4

• MSU update: The Spartans enter their first stretch of Big Ten play in a pretty good place — at 7-2, with wins over Louisville, UConn, Loyola Chicago and at Butler, an emerging defensive identity, and a still-developing roster that has some promise. The Spartans’ defense and 3-point defense is second-best in the Big Ten, allowing teams to shoot 37.7% and 26.8%, respectively. Tyson Walker is third in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 4.9 per game, and fellow point guard AJ Hoggard is sixth in the conference in assists at 4.2. Marcus Bingham Jr. is third in the Big Ten in blocked shots, averaging 3.2 an outing. No MSU player is among the top 20 in the Big Ten in minutes per game, speaking to the team’s depth and reliance on its rotation.

MORE: Couch: 3 quick takes on MSU's 81-68 win over Toledo

• Minnesota update: The Gophers are off to a surprising 7-0 start, given that they were a good bet to finish at the bottom of the Big Ten entering the season. New coach Ben Johnson, who you might remember playing for Minnesota in the late 90s and early 2000s, has gotten the most out of this remade roster. For a while, Minnesota's start looked entirely due to a weak schedule. But wins at Pitt in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and then at Mississippi State, a team with a decently talented roster, give the Gophers’ unbeaten start some oomph. Their 3-point defense deserves credit. Opponents are shooting 23% beyond the arc against them. Minnesota’s top three scorers and shooters are all transfers. Forward Jamison Battle (George Washington) and guards Payton Willis (Vanderbilt) and Eylijah Stephens (Louisiana Lafayette) have led the Gophers in scoring and outside shooting, each averaging double figures and hitting more than 44% of their 3-point shots. Battle and Willis are among the Big Ten leaders in points per game for a team that plays only seven players a night.

• Inside the matchup: We’ll find out a lot about Minnesota in this game. The Spartans are the best team the Gophers have faced. MSU, on the other hand, has not only played more talented teams and won, but also won in a similar environment – on the road at Butler, in front of a hostile crowd and on a raised court. The Spartans are motivated to get this one. As soon as their game against Toledo ended, Tom Izzo began relentlessly reminding them of their embarrassing flop at Minnesota last season. I don’t know if the Spartans will play well, but I think they’ll come out swinging. The Gophers will test their perimeter defense. So far, it’s held up pretty well. Where Minnesota might be in trouble is on the glass. The Gophers are being out-rebounded by opponents by five per game, despite a mostly mid-major slate.

• Prediction: Until last season, MSU had fared well of late at Williams Arena. And the Spartans thus far haven’t looked vulnerable against lesser teams. Despite the Gophers’ hot start, MSU should have advantages in this one.

Make it: MSU 72, Minnesota 64

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball at Minnesota: Prediction, preview, how to bet, TV info