Tag: Michigan State Basketball

MSU Basketball vs. UCLA: Three Things To Watch

Michigan State Basketball is set to face UCLA at 2:30 on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This comes after a 93-85 victory over Georgia. Michigan State has underperformed in the tournament so far and must vastly improve before their game against Duke on Dec. 3. …

Michigan State Basketball is set to face UCLA at 2:30 on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This comes after a 93-85 victory over Georgia. Michigan State has underperformed in the tournament so far and must vastly improve before their game against Duke on Dec. 3.

Here are three things to watch in this game against the UCLA Bruins:

Xavier Tillman

Should we be concerned over Xavier Tillman’s performance thus far this season? Right now, he’s averaging 11.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. On paper, this is an improvement over last year in every statistical category, but, he just doesn’t look right.

Tillman currently averages 2.4 turnovers and tallied up three in just the game against Georgia. You expect turnovers from a young player like Rocket Watts but not from Tillman. Worst of all, Xavier is making unforced errors.

Michigan State cannot afford for Tillman to continue this play. Yes, his rebound total is impressive night in and night out, but, he must be wiser with the basketball. Also, he must have a stronger presence around the rim. Watch for Tillman’s improvements against UCLA.

MSU’s Forward Rotation

Marcus Bingham got the start against Georgia instead of Kithier. Personally, I back this decision up. Thomas Kithier is not bad, but, he’s not getting the job done. Especially after a rather horrific defensive performance against Virginia Tech.

Bingham looked great out on the floor. Bill Walton is Bingham’s number one fan. I think that Marcus Bingham brings so much energy to the game. Plus, he usually ends the game with at least one steal and a block.

Malik Hall will definitely get more clock as the season progresses. Against Georgia, Hall had an absolutely vicious dunk. Best of all, he did this while MSU was up by nearly 20 points. That’s the sign of someone with killer instinct.

Guard Depth

Michigan State is absolutely brutal without Cassius Winston on the floor. The offense is discombobulated and the perimeter defense is easily to exploit. More often than not, opposing guards blow right by Foster Loyer for easy buckets at the rim. The Spartan’s lack of Guard depth is a serious problem right now.

What can MSU do? Kyle Ahrens is still working towards full health. As I just mentioned, Loyer can be a defensive liability on any given play. Rocket Watts is moving towards high-quality Guard play but still needs another month of development.

The Joshua Langford injury did more damage than anyone could have imagined. Spartan’s Basketball is in a trial by fire situation. We’ll just have to see how they hold up. Tom Izzo is certainly scheming up something for UCLA.

You can catch this game against UCLA at 2:30 P.M. on ESPN2.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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MSU Basketball holds strong against Georgia, Anthony Edwards: Twitter Reactions

Michigan State Basketball managed to overcome Georgia and Anthony Edwards in a 93-85 victory. Here are some twitter reactions to this game.

Somehow, Michigan State basketball stood tall against Georgia and 33 points from freshman Guard Anthony Edwards. This was a bounceback victory for the Spartans after a 71-66 loss to Virginia Tech.

Here are a handful of twitter reactions to this game:

Michigan State plays again tomorrow at 2:30 against UCLA.

You can catch this game on ESPN2. Stay locked on Spartanswire for more coverage to come.

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Twitter reacts to Anthony Edwards’ incredible second-half showing vs. Michigan State

Twitter reacts to Anthony Edwards’ incredible second-half showing vs. Michigan State

The Georgia men’s basketball team fell 93-85 to Michigan State on Tuesday at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui. However, the key takeaway from the game was not the loss, but freshman sensation Anthony Edwards.

After being held to only 6 points in a 19-point loss to Dayton on Monday, the five-star shooting guard entered the locker room against Michigan State with just 4 points Tuesday.

Then, the Ant Man happened….

After all the hype and anticipation in Athens, Edwards finally got it going in one of the nation’s premier college basketball tournaments.

With the game broadcast on ESPN2 to the eyes of many, the 6’5″, 225-pound shooting guard had all of Georgia on edge, watching a 28-point Spartans lead evaporate in just a few minutes.

For a moment, the entire Michigan State faithful was shellshocked at what had just transpired, putting Georgia basketball on a national stage, even in defeat.

Sure, the Bulldogs ended up losing the game, but the buzz Edwards just gendered for this program will have Georgia in the headlines for the rest of the night, and if he keeps it up, the entire season.

Don’t believe us?

Take a look at some of these tweets.

 

Michigan State outlasts Georgia, Anthony Edwards in Maui Invitational

The Spartans start hot, hold on late out in Hawaii

What a difference a half makes.

In the battle of the Toms, it was Izzo’s bunch getting the best of the Crean crew as Michigan State held off Georgia and soon-to-be top pick Anthony Edwards 93-85 in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational consolation round.

A day after the Spartan offense was perpetually stuck in the mud, MSU came out flying on offense in the first half en route to a 52-31 lead. Aided by some questionable Bulldog defense, Michigan State looked like a completely new team compared to the group that saw its run through Maui end early at the hands of Virginia Tech. The turnovers and fouls were down and the shooting and passing were much improved.

The second half was a different story with the Spartans first extending their lead only to see it chipped away by the other-worldly play of Edwards. Combine that with the MSU offense getting bogged down after Georgia switched to a zone and things went from boring to tense in short order. Led by hot shooting of the highly-touted freshman Edwards, Georgia strung together a scoring surge that shrunk a 28-point lead down to just two with five minutes left in the game. The steady hand of Cassius Winston and timely threes from Aaron Henry and Xavier Tillman would ensure Georgia would get no closer.

Still, it was hard to watch the game without Edwards being the big story. Full-court bounce passes, thirty-foot jumpers and everything in-between, Edwards did it all and showed everyone watching why he is projected to be taken in the top three of the 2020 NBA Draft. He led all scorers with 37 points including 33 in the second half. Edwards also chipped in 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks.

It was an incredible display and the fourth time in this short season that Michigan State has felt the full-powered wrath of an opposing star player.

In the first half Cassius Winston–a few hours after scoring just seven points on ten shots–looked like his usual self hitting shots from deep and making smooth dishes to teammates for easy buckets on his way to 28 points and 8 assists. Aaron Henry was aggressive from the jump, getting to the cup with ease and even hitting a silky sky hook, finishing with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Tillman would finish with a double double notching 15 points to go with 11 rebounds. Even Foster Loyer had it going early, bouncing back from a disappointing outing with two big threes to help spur an extended 34-9 Michigan State run the paved the way for the big halftime lead.

First-Half Michigan State was the team many of the Spartan faithful that made the 4,346 miles journey from East Lansing to Maui expected to see. The Spartans had energy and were much more aggressive from the jump even on plays that didn’t fully pan out, like Gabe Brown getting fouled while attempting to posterize a Georgia Bulldog, but coming up just short or Malik Hall actually cashing in on a hammer dunk, but getting a technical foul for taunting his victim.

They just couldn’t keep it up for two halves, something that has become a theme early in the season and will certainly need to be cleaned up.

Michigan State moves to the fifth place game where they will play the winner of Chaminade vs. UCLA.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: Trouble in Paradise

Michigan State loses to Virginia Tech in Maui.

Wil and Matt discuss Michigan State losing to Virginia Tech out in Maui. Matt declares the Foster Loyer experiment to be over. Wil thinks Xavier Tillman is pressing early in the season.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Michigan State Men’s Basketball vs. Georgia: Where to watch, listen, stream

MSU will face off with Georgia in the loser’s bracket of the Maui Invitational. Here’s what you need to know to follow the game.

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This isn’t where the Michigan State Men’s Basketball program wanted to be, but they are facing Georgia today in the loser’s bracket of the Maui Invitational a day after falling to Virginia Tech 71-66. Here is everything you need to know to watch, listen, or stream the game.

Match-up: Michigan State (3-2) vs. Georgia (4-1)

Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui, Hawaii

When: Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

On DirecTV, ESPN2 is channel 209. On Dish, ESPN2 is channel 143.

Online live stream: WatchESPN

Online radio broadcast: Spartans Sports Network

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Michigan State HC Tom Izzo apologizes to fans after Virginia Tech loss in Maui

MSU’s Tom Izzo was apologetic to fans in Maui after the Spartans were upset by Virginia Tech in their first game in the Maui Invitational.

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It was a very frustrating day for Michigan State fans, both in the mainland United States and the ones who made the trip to Maui. After the No. 3 Spartans were upset by Virginia Tech 71-66 in the Maui Invitational, Tom Izzo apologized to the fans who made the trip, calling them, “maybe the greatest fan group that was here.”

“We feel like I let them down,” Izzo said.

Something a lot of fans criticized was the decision by Izzo to bench Cassius Winston over nine minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls. Sure, bench him for a few minutes to make sure he doesn’t get another one, but by the time Winston came back in during the second half, he looked cold and had a hard time getting back into full gear after spending so long on the bench.

Izzo acknowledged this as well, saying that “he panicked” after Winston picked up what he thought to be a “ghost call.” It was encouraging to see that he also admitted that he might have to play guys longer even if they pick up a few fouls early. This is particularly true for Winston as Foster Loyer has still not fully grown into the role as a capable backup for Cassius.

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Game Recap: MSU Basketball coughs up 71-66 loss to Virginia Tech

Michigan State Basketball lost to Virginia Tech 71-66 in frustration fashion. Here is a quick game recap for anyone that missed the game.

Michigan State Basketball lost in frustrating fashion to the Virginia Tech Hokies, 71-66 in the opening round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. This game was incredibly close all throughout. The Spartans played right into the hands of the Hokies in the first half. Then in the second, things only got worse.

Here is a quick recap of this game:

First Half

Boy, the first half was pretty rough. One stretch was so bad that MSU only shot one of nine from the floor. Even worse, Cassius Winston had zero points in the first half. That is just not good. The Spartans need other players to provide positive plays besides Winston. If Cassius struggles, Michigan State is vulnerable, to say the least.

Virginia Tech defended transition points quite well. They made sure to get all five players back on defense each and every possession. Meanwhile, Winston racked up two fouls and had to sit early on. This brought in Foster Loyer and put Rocket Watts at the PG position.

Rocket drilled a three right in front of the Virginia Tech bench. Unfortunately, he also turned the ball over twice on back to back possessions. This brought the turnover total to 10 before the end of the first half. Virginia Tech simply spaced the floor against MSU. The Spartans could not stop helping on driving defenders. As a result, the Hokies hit threes at a solid clip in the first half.

Virginia Tech pulled ahead at the half, 32-28.

Second Half

The second half was even more frustrating than the first. Michigan State shot themselves in the foot time after time in the second half. I can’t tell you what was worse between the sloppy offense and unintelligent defense. MSU opened the second half with more turnovers and blown defensive assignments.

Virginia Tech tallied seven three with nine minutes left in the game. One three came as the result of Thomas Kithier leaving his defensive assignment wide open in the corner for a three. On the other end, Michigan State continued to cough up the ball to Virginia Tech. The Spartans totaled 16 turnovers with nearly five minutes left in the game, yikes.

Despite turnovers and missed three-point shots, MSU kept this game close down to the very end. Gabe Brown hit a clutch corner three to bring the game to 59-52, Virginia Tech’s lead. Winston later hit a three in transition to bring the Spartans within four points.

Two minutes left in the game and Landers Nolley stepped up big for Virginia Tech. Nolley came down and scored a bucket right at the rim through two MSU defenders. On the other end, Xavier Tillman put the ball on the floor then kicked it out to a wide-open Aaron Henry for three. This bucket brought Michigan State within one, 65-64.

Unfortunately, Landers Nolley came right back with a three of his own. He scored back to back buckets to put his team ahead. Spartan Guard Kyle Ahrens drove baseline and scored, but, it did little to help the Spartans. Wabissa Bede grabbed the board. MSU tried to extend the game with intentional fouls to no avail.

Where did this game go wrong? Turnovers, Virginia Tech threes, and Winston’s poor play. I know, I hate to say it too. Cassius is the leader of this team though. He cannot score only seven points on 2-8 shooting from the floor.

Michigan State plays against Georgia tomorrow at 2:30 P.M. You can catch this game on ESPN2 as well.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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Michigan State Basketball vs. Virginia Tech: Where to watch, listen, betting odds

MSU Basketball will face Virginia Tech today in the Maui Invitational. Here’s how to follow along with the action.

Michigan State Men’s Basketball faces off against Virginia Tech today in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. Here is everything you need to know to watch, listen, or bet on the game.

Match-up: No. 3 Michigan State vs. Virginia Tech

Time: Monday, November 25th, 5pm ET

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Spartan Sports Network radio, WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM: Sirius Ch. 138

Betting Odds: Michigan State -9.5

Lineups:

MSU

C (23) Xavier Tillman (6-8) 12.0

PF (15) Thomas Kithier (6-8) 6.8

SF (11) Aaron Henry (6-6) 11.3

SG (2) Rocket Watts (6-2) 6.0

PG (5) Cassius Winston (6-0) 17.5

Virginia Tech

F (14) P.J. Horne (6-6) 9.4

F (2) Landers Nolley (6-7) 20.2

G (23) Tyrece Radford (6-1) 7.4

G (4) Nahiem Alleyne (6-3) 12.6

G (3) Wabissa Bede (6-0) 5.2

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Michigan State Basketball a 9.5-point favorite over Virginia Tech

MSU will be a decent favorite over Virginia Tech in the Quarterfinal of the Maui Invitational.

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Michigan State Men’s Basketball is currently in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational and they are facing Virginia Tech as 9.5-point favorites. Michigan State is 3-1 and number 3 overall in the Amway Coaches Poll. Virginia Tech is 5-0 and unranked as of now.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 11/24/2019 at 9:50 p.m. ET. 

Virginia Tech has been shooting the ball extremely well this season so this could be a highly contested game, but one that MSU will be expected to win.

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