Michigan State’s Next Challenge concentrates on two top-5 NBA choices

East Lansing-Michigan State beat a team with a potential top-five choice in this year’s NBA draft in its last game.

There will be two that fit the description on the other bench in the next excursion.

Spartans # 8 put their 11-game-winning row on the line of Madison Square Garden on Saturday against Rutgers and Star Freshmen Guards Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.

“You see Bailey doing some shots that are incredible and Harper just has an incredible feeling,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. “They are two of the better players I’ve seen in this league in a while.”

Michigan State (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) angled Illinois 80-78 on Sunday in a flute-heavy, top-25 showdown, containing 41 total violations with the 54 free throws split evenly. The Spartans benefited from the Illinois star, whom the beginner Kasparas Jakucionis – a Lithuanian and probably lottery pick – was limited to less than nine minutes on the floor before swinging out. It prevented one of the country’s best players from having a real influence.

Illinois, whom Izzo called the best team in the Big Ten, had the talent around Jakucionis to keep the result at the Breslin Center in doubt until the last second. Rutgers (10-9, 3-5) missed the NCAA tournament each of the last two years, but opened the season ranked in the top 25 behind a few five-star additions.

“They are super talented, they can both score the ball really well,” said Michigan State Senior Guard Jaden Akins, “So we just want to try to make it hard on them and play our game.”

It has been a strange season for Rutgers, including an early loss for Kennesaw State and wins against UCLA and at Nebraska before a Penn State defeat earlier this week. Bailey leads Scarlet Knights in the scoring (19.9) and rebounds (7.9), while Harper, the son of former NBA star Ron Harper, is at 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and a Holdhøj 4.3 assists.

Earlier this month, ESPN Harper expected to go second in the draft, after Duke’s Cooper Flagg and before Bailey third. Michigan State represents an almost opposite look with Akins the only player scoring at double at 13.9 per. Match.

“These two players are really good,” Izzo said about Bailey and Harper, “but as we say, you have to hope to have players that the collection of the whole is really what is important in how to win game.”

The Spartans do not have a top -tongue lineup. They regularly go 10 deeply and no one in this group is floated as a lottery pick.

“I think we need a little more separation, we need some guys to score a little more,” said Izzo. “How much more? I don’t know. Our guys have bought pretty well, but I’m not trying to say, hello, I want everyone to be at eight points a game either. Let’s get some 12- and 15-point guys and move everyone else up. “

Izzo has a career record of 4-13 in Madison Square Garden and fell five right there. Only four players on the guard schedule have experience on the floor of Mecca in basketball, and it is a group that wants to expand a winning row and spot on top of the Big Ten.

“The more games you win,” Junior Tip Jaxon Kohler said, “the more hungry you are to win more games and keep this thing going.”