After winning its opening win over Colorado, Michigan State is now set to take on the Memphis Tigers in the semi-finals of the Maui Invitational. This game is set to take place at 6 p.m. Eastern Time and will broadcast live on ESPN.

In their first game, the Spartans were able to knock off the Buffaloes, 72-56, while the Tigers beat the second ranked UConn Huskies, 99-97. These two programs will now face off with a chance to to advance to the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Jeremy Fears Jr. (6’2” RS Fr..), Tre Holloman (6’2” Jr.)

2 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Sr.), Jase Richardson (6'3" Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" RS Fr.)

3 - Frankie Fidler (6’7” Sr.), Coen Carr (6’5” So.), Kur Teng (6'4" Fr.)

4 - Jaxon Kohler (6’9” Jr.), Xavier Booker (6'11" So.)

5 - Syzmon Zapala (7'0" Sr.), Carson Cooper (6’11” So.), Jesse McCulloch (6''10" Fr., expected to redshirt)

Head coach Tom Izzo has been quoted many times saying that he wants his teams to "defend, rebound, and run," and the game against Colorado was the epitome of that. Despite struggling from 3-point range, the Spartans were incredible from inside the arc and were absolutely stifling defensively.

The scoring was well balanced, once again led by Jase Richardson who had 13 points and was one of 10 Spartans to score in double figures. MSU out rebounded Colorado 37-27 and held CU to 56 points. The Spartans will once again need a special defensive effort as they get set to take on the Tigers.

Memphis: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Tyrese Hunter (6'0" Sr.)

2 - Colby Rogers (6'3" Sr.)

3 - PJ Haggerty (6'3" So.), PJ Carter (6'4" Sr.)

4 - Nicholas Jourdain (6'7" Sr.)

5 - Moussa Cisse (6'11" Sr.), Dain Dainja (6'9" Sr.)

Memphis come into this game undefeated and fresh off a program win taking down the No. 2 ranked back-to-back national champions, UConn, in the opening game of the invitational. The Tigers, coached by Penny Hardaway, were fantastic offensively, led by their All-American candidate PJ Haggerty, who is in the discussion for best transfer in the country. Haggerty leads the Tigers in scoring with 22.5 points per game while shooting 49% from the field and 50% from three.

Haggerty is not the only dynamic guard for the Tigers. Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers are also two guards who are dynamic shot makers. When they start to knock down shots, they do so in bunches.

Down low, the front court rotation of Moussa Cisse, Nicholas Jourdain, and Dain Dainja each bring a little something different for Memphis. Cisse is an elite athlete and an eraser defensively, while Dainja is one of the best low-post scorers in the country. Jourdain is a 6-foot-7 forward whose effort is infectious, and he has taken the role of a player who does all the little things for the Tigers.

As a team, the Tigers are shooting 47.9% from three outside the arc, which ranks them second nationally. Memphis also lives at the free throw line, ranking 10th nationally in free throw rate.

Game Breakdown and Prediction

This game is a matchup between one of the best defensive teams in the country in the Spartans, and one of the hottest shooting teams in the country, the Tigers. The soft rims of Maui will certainly aid the Tigers in this one, but — on the other hand — MSU will be looking to knockdown a few more treys to make things easier offensively.

With the way Memphis is shooting the basketball right now combined with its free throw rate, the Tigers are a team that can have you as a defense wondering what can you do. The difference in this game will come down to if Memphis continues to shoot well from three and if PJ Haggerty is the best player on the floor, or if Michigan State is finally making a respectable amount of treys coupled with the fact that the Spartans are a deeper team (MSU's bench scored 40 yesterday compared to the Tigers' 23) playing a Memphis squad coming off a physical overtime matchup yesterday.

Small margins will be a major factor in who comes out victorious in this one.

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