Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Preview: Michigan State vs. Purdue

After picking up a win over Minnesota in its first matchup in the Big Ten Tournament, No. 8-seeded Michigan State is set to take on the No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in the quarterfinals on Friday. This game will take place at noon Eastern Time and will broadcast live on Big Ten Network.

Purdue, the top seed in the bracket for the conference tournament, will be playing its first game in the Big Ten Tournament, while the Spartans won their opening matchup, knocking off the Minnesota Golden Gophers by a final score of 77-67 on Thursday.

In the first and only meeting of the 2023-2024 season, the Boilermakers knocked off the Spartans by a final score of 80-74 in West Lafayette, Indiana on March 2.

Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - A.J. Hoggard (6’4” Sr.), Tre Holloman (6’2” So.)

2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Graduate Sr.)

3 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Jr.), Coen Carr (6’5” Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" Fr.)

4 - Malik Hall (6’8” Graduate Sr.), Xavier Booker (6'11" Fr.)

5 - Mady Sissoko (6’9” Sr.), Carson Cooper (6’11” So.), Jaxon Kohler (6’9” So.)

Injured: Jeremy Fears Jr. (6'2" Fr.)

Rankings & Ratings: No. N/A, RV (AP), No. N/A, RV (Coaches), No. 23 (NET), No. 19 (Kenpom), No. 22 (Barttorvik)

After dropping four out of their final five games to end the 2023-2024 regular season, the Spartans got a much needed win over the Minnesota. While there was a strong chance Michigan State would have been in the NCAA Tournament field even with a loss, the victory over the Golden Gophers solidified that MSU will be dancing for the 26th consecutive season.

Point guard A.J. Hoggard scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting against the Gophers, while guard Tyson Walker added 15 points to help propel the Spartans to victory.

A late surge in the second half that was spearheaded by some very intense defense sparked a 15-2 run for the Spartans, which blew the game open for Michigan State. Minnesota tried to battle back, but Walker — who struggled with his shot early on —was massive down the stretch, getting bucket after bucket to maintain Michigan State's lead.

It was a balanced attack from the Spartans, who got contributions from everyone who played major minutes. Guard Jaden Akins, guard Tre Holloman, forward Malik Hall, freshman forward/center Xavier Booker and center Jaxon Kohler all scored at least six points.

Obviously, Michigan State has a quick turnaround, playing a noon game on back-to-back days, with a chance to play the No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers and exact revenge from a regular season loss.

Purdue: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Braden Smith (6'0" So.)

2 - Fletcher Loyer (6'4" So.), Cam Heide (6'7" Fr.)

3 - Lance Jones (6'1" Sr.)

4 - Trey Kaufmann-Renn (6'9" So.), Mason Gillis (6'6" Sr.)

5 - Zach Edey (7'4" Sr.)

Injured:

Rankings & Ratings: No. 2 (AP), No. 2 (Coaches), No. 2 (NET), No. 3 (Kenpom), No. 3 (Barttorvik)

Purdue is easily one of the best teams in the country, led by the reigning National Player of the Year (and current front-runner to win again), senior Zach Edey. The 7-foot-4 cheat code is one of the more dominant forms college basketball has ever seen. The big man averages 24.2 points, 11.7 rebounds per game and 2.2 blocks per game. He was recently named the Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

This Purdue team is not just Edey, though, it is so much more. Sophomore point guard Braden Smith has taken a leap that has him considered as one of the best point guards in the country. Meanwhile, Fletcher Loyer (43.3%) and Lance Jones (36.4%) are two guys who can knock 3-pointers at any moment.

In the front-court with Edey are both Mason Gillis and Trey Kaufmann-Renn. The two forwards combine to bring energy to the Boilermakers' front court, and Gillis in particular is one of the best glue guys in the country.

Regardless of Friday's result, this year's Matt Painter squad is primed to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament yet again, after falling as a No. 1 seed to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round a year ago, and may even be the No. 1 overall seed this season.

Michigan State was able to hang around at Mackey Arena earlier in the season, despite Zach Edey having a monster game, which included 20 free-throw attempts. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo will surely have a defensive game plan that makes Edey earn everything, and I look for the star Tyson Walker to be special and do star things.

Michigan State has a chance to pull off the upset on Friday.

Prediction: Michigan State 85, Purdue 80

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