The Michigan St. Spartans head to Evanston on Sunday night to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a battle of teams with one great, signature win so far this season. Unfortunately, they only have that one major win on their resume, and not much more. For MSU, it’s their utter thrashing of Baylor (KenPom #15).
For Northwestern, it’s their historical upset over the nation’s #1 team, the Purdue Boilermakers.
Michigan St Spartans at Northwestern Wildcats FYIs
Tip: 6:30 CST, Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, IL
TV: BTN, Radio: WGN 720
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ESPN Matchup Predictor: 53.9%-46.1% Michigan St Spartans
Although it’s worth noting that both sides also have another pretty good win on their CV, as the Spartans beat Indiana St. (NET #33) last week (in their first meeting since the 1979 national title game).
For Northwestern, it’s Dayton (NET #23).
However, both teams have a lot of work to do this season, and they must make sure they finish in the top half of the Big Ten.
Michigan St Spartans Preview 9-5 (1-2) KenPom #17 NET #28
As you can see, the Spartans have great metrics, and now that they’ve won four in a row, there is optimism that they’ll end up with a final season record that looks right.
Yes, they have fallen far short of preseason expectations. It’s true that this season has been disappointing so far, but they’ll almost certainly get in the big dance, and go back to the NCAA Tournament second weekend again.
It’s the Big Ten, they’ll get more teams in than they actually deserve because of all the league’s big money tv deals. And the Michigan St. Spartans are the blue blood program of the league.
(Unless you’re a boomer, or a member of the silent generation, then you might still think Indiana is the league’s bellwether program).
If anyone is getting preferential treatment, it’s them.
You know all about this team’s core, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall, etc. because they’re “old.” But keep an eye on Coen Carr at all times, no matter. He is this generation’s Dominique Wilkins, as he’s a “human highlight reel.”
Northwestern Wildcats Preview 10-3 (1-1) KenPom #69 NET #79
While Northwestern has won three of the last four, this series has not been kind to them; at all. Prior to that 3-1 stretch, Michigan St. won the previous 13. Since the turn of the millenium, i.e. the year of Michigan State (and the Big Ten)’s most recent national title, NU is 5-31 in this series.
The Cats need to pad their record and finish well over .500 in the league, because, simply put, the conference is just plain bad this year. I mean, seriously, it’s bad.
You know who isn’t bad? Boo Buie, who might end up going down in the NU hoops history books as the greatest Cat ever. The program’s all-time leading scoring record belongs to John Shurna, with 2038 career points.
Buie enters this game standing at (a very patriotic 1776), and he averages 18.1 ppg. Including the rest of the season, plus one Big Ten Tournament game, Northwestern is guaranteed to play 18 more times this season. 18 squared is 324, which puts Buie at an even 2100. Provided he stays healthy and just continues to be himself, he’s got this!
Prediction: Northwestern 81, Michigan St Spartans 75
I’m just not convinced that State has fully turned the corner, at least not yet.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.