Michigan State is taking his show on the road, playing rutgers on msg

On By Littum

East Lansing – Michigan State Men’s Basketball team is no stranger to the clear lights this season, but they will be as clear as ever this weekend.

On a road trip to New York City, Michigan State No. 8 (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) will welcome a rutgers team led by two probable NBA lottery choices. It may well be the biggest atmosphere the Spartans play this season.

“They could have moved all their games to it. They moved our game there, said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.” … But I just think it’s great when your players get a chance to play in places and do Things that will be memorial to them. And as we know, the elevator is not memorizing, but everything else is – especially if there is no circus in the city the night before. “

Michigan State has been its own traveling band of artists this season. Saturday will mark the season’s sixth neutral match, twice the number of real outdoor matches so far. The Spartans are getting used to playing in all sorts of places, whether it is the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Lahaina Center in Maui, Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and Madison Square Garden, a sacred place in College Basketball.

The enemy, Rutgers, also brings some star power. Although a total record of 10-9, 3-5 in the Big Ten does not show a whole lot of success, Scarlet Knights are led by two red-hot stars: Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, a couple of guards that should be lottery choices in this year’s NBA- Draft, with the exception of a significant change. One of the two has lost at least 20 points in 17 out of 19 games. Four times one of them hit 30. Bailey and Harper have an average of 19.9 and 19.3 points respectively. match.

“They will get enough shots where they will get their points,” Izzo said. “… I know for sure, Bailey has an average of 20 shots per day. match. There are many shots, so we hope that if he scores 20 points, he has to take many shots to do so. But really talented guys I mean really talented offensive players. ”

The type of stars the ten big ones have not seen in a minute at the guard position. It’s the type of star players that Michigan State is used to playing against teams like North Carolina, Duke or Kansas in a neutral game more than Rutgers. It is clear from its record that change has not been so smooth for Scarlet Knights.

At a victory series of 11 games, a perfect 7-0 in conference games and starting its hottest start since 2018-19, Michigan State comes in with an approach that is contradictory to what Rutgers has done. It inserts 10 players into significant minutes and significant contributions – “Strength in numbers”, as the spartans’ gathering cries have been this month. It’s a team without stars, or at least not the brilliant, all-American type. And with all the moving pieces, Michigan State has built a steam head. It has not lost a game since before Thanksgiving.

Keeping the show going will be hard against Rutgers, especially its talented stars. But it will also be difficult to play in Madison Square Garden, where all the lights and the aura change how the game is played. Take it from the guard Jaden Akins, who played his first college basketball match there in 2021.

“It was crazy,” Akins said. “It was just a lot of people there, a lot of fans there. It’s dark in the crowd, and then all the light on the field. So it was cool.”

Dealing with this pressure is an advantage for Michigan State, especially because these are these types of venues keep playing on when they want to win something in March. It is a test of focus and determination. It’s a double -edged sword.

“There are goods and bad things about it,” said striker Jaxon Kohler, Spartans’ rebounding leader with 7.9 per day. match. “The good, of course, is that you are going to play, where proffer has played, and special tournaments where people before you played that turns into the pros. But you also need to make sure you are focused. I mean, at the end Of the day, it’s still a game wherever it is – whether it’s Hawaii, New York, Atlanta – it’s still a game.

Michigan State must to some extent contain Bailey and Harper, if not in the points column then with the firing volume. Likewise, its guards will have to go up in the rebound game against them, as Bailey has an average of 7.9 boards per day. Play, and his Counterpunch sits at 5.1. For an area that Izzo has expected more of, this will be a significant test.

Saturday’s match shows Michigan State, both in terms of venue and the star power it faces. During all these lights, the Spartans’ travel act will hope for brilliant reviews.

No. 8 Michigan State by Rutgers

Tipoff: 13:30 Saturday, Madison Square Garden, New York City

TV/Radio: CBS/760 AM

Records: Michigan State 16-2, 7-0 Big Ten; Rutgers 10-9, 3-5

All Times Series: Michigan State leads 13-3. Last Meeting: Michigan State won, 73-55, at home on January 14, 2024

Last Time Out: Sunday’s close victory of 80-78 over Illinois proved Michigan State’s abilities against a national candidate. … Despite 30 points from Harper, Rutgers lost Monday’s match against Penn State, 80-72.

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