The Michigan State Spartans were able to sneak out a gutty win at home versus the Iowa Hawkeyes by a final score of 63-61 on Thursday night. After this hard-fought victory to get back in the win column, the Spartans travel to Mackey Arena for a 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time tipoff versus the Purdue Boilermakers, the No. 1 team in the country. The game will be aired on CBS.
The Boilermakers were able to escape the Spartans (64-63) in their last meeting, thanks to a late bucket by National Player of the Year front-runner Zach Edey. Michigan State has a chance to exact revenge on Sunday, and also has an opportunity to knock off the top team in the country and in the Big Ten on Purdue's home floor.
Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team
1 - A.J. Hoggard (6’4” Jr.), Tre Holloman (6’2” Fr.)
2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Sr.)
3 - Jaden Akins (6’4” So.), Pierre Brooks II (6’5” So.)
4 - Joey Hauser (6’9” Sr.), Malik Hall (6’8” Sr.), Jason Whitens (6’6” Sr.)
5 - Mady Sissoko (6’9” Jr.), Jaxon Kohler (6’9” Fr.), Carson Cooper (6’11” Fr.)
Injured: None
Rankings & Ratings: RV (AP), RV (Coaches), No. 40 (NET), No. 41 (Kenpom), No. 39 (Barttorvik)
The Spartans were able to get back on track after a tough road loss at the hands of the Indiana Hoosiers by knocking off the Iowa Hawkeyes in a closely-contested game. The Spartans' back-court that has carried the team in a lot of games this year had another off game, but luckily other players on the team were able to pick up the slack. One of those players who was able to step up was forward Malik Hall. He returned to the court after missing three games with a foot injury, and provided a much-needed boost to the Spartans. Hall scored 11 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists, with two of those 11 points coming off of a monstrous dunk over Iowa's Filip Rebraca that nearly blew the roof off of the Breslin Center.
Hall was not the only player who stepped up as he had some help from guard/forward Jaden Akins as well. Akins continues to get better and better, showing why head coach Tom Izzo referred to him as the best two-way player on the team. Akins scored 12 points and also had six rebounds and three steals.
The back-court was not the only area where players stepped up. Center Mady Sissoko had the first double-double of his career, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Sissoko had struggled a bit in his last couple games prior to Thursday night, so to see him respond and play well was a welcome sight for Michigan State fans.
With Hall back in the fold for the Spartans, the team has a new look about them. Both the eye test and results back that this team is simply better with Hall on the floor. Having him back makes this team more dangerous and is a great sign going up against the best team in the country.
Purdue: Depth Chart and State of the Team
1 - Braden Smith (6’0” Fr.), David Jenkins (6’1” Sr.)
2 - Fletcher Loyer (6’4” Fr.), Brandon Newman (6’5” Jr.)
3 - Ethan Morton (6’7” Jr.), Mason Gillis (6’6” Jr.)
4 - Caleb Furst (6’10” So..), Trey Kaufman-Renn (6’9” Fr.)
5 - Zach Edey (7’4” Jr.)
Injured: None
Rankings & Ratings: 1 (AP), 1 (Coaches), No. 4 (NET), No. 5 (Kenpom), No. 6 (Barttorvik)
The Purdue Boilermakers have been playing some of the best basketball in the country this year, which is evident by the team's 20-1 overall record. This team is a well-oiled machine that is composed of players who know their roles and live to excel in those roles.
The Boilermakers are led by their 7-foot-4 center and National Player of the Year canidate Zach Edey. Edey is a truly massive and dominate force that the game of college basketball does not see often. He is currently averaging 21 points and 13 rebounds per game, while shooting over 60% from the field. The thing that makes the Boilermakers so great is that all of the complementary the pieces on the team know that Edey is the man and they are fine with him shooting 20 shots a game because it works.
The talented freshman back-court of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer play wise beyond their years, and never seem to get rattled. Loyer – who is the younger brother of former Spartan, and current Davidson Wildcat, Foster Loyer – is a 6-foot-5 sharpshooter who can get hot in a hurry and is never afraid of the moment. In the previous game versus the Spartans, Loyer took over during a stretch of the second half to keep them in the game when Tyson Walker was on fire.
Junior Ethan Morton is one of the best defensive players in the conference and is the Swiss army knife of this Boilermakers team. Rounding out the players who play major minutes in this rotation are Caleb Furst and Mason Gillis. Furst and Gillis are two of the best glue guys in the Big Ten, and their chemistry with Edey is phenomenal.
This team is very deserving of its No. 1 ranking, and will be looking to continue with its winning ways as the Spartans come into Mackey, one of the best home crowds in the the Big Ten.
Game Prediction and Breakdown
Mackey Arena is one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten, and Purdue is playing some of the best basketball in the Big Ten. The Spartans will be looking to exact revenge in this one, and do so at full strength with Hall back.
This isn't a desperation spot for Michigan State, but this game is one that if MSU wins, the Spartans will basically punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament (barring a meltdown the rest of the season), and simultaneously make things interesting for who will win the Big Ten outright.
In the first game, Coach Izzo decided to play single coverage against Edey, so it will be interesting to see how the Spartans choose to guard Edey in this one. A double-team on Edey is very feasible and this could force the Boilermaker shooters to knock down shots, which they have shown to be streaky at during times this year.
Michigan State 72, Purdue 65
