Tag: msu basketball

MSU Basketball vs. Virginia Tech: Scouting Report

Michigan State Basketball faces off against Virginia Tech on Monday, Nov. 25 in Hawaii. Here is a scouting report of the Hokies team.

Michigan State basketball has landed in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. Their first game is against the undefeated, 5-0, Virginia Tech Hokies on Monday, Nov. 25. This will be a tough out for the Spartans as the Hokies boast a solid roster.

Here is a scouting report of the Virginia Tech Basketball team:

Landers Nolley

Let’s start with the best player on the Hokies roster, Landers Nolley. Nolley is a 6’7″, 230-pound freshman Guard from Atlanta, GA. Yes, you read that right. Nolley is a towering guard that scores from all levels. He can get to the basket with dribble moves and shoots long-range shots at an efficient clip.

Nolley will be a test for Michigan State on defense. If healthy, Aaron Henry will definitely guard Nolley for most of this game. If not, MSU might be in trouble. So far, Nolley leads his team with 20.2 points per game. He also averages 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals. Most impressive, he is shooting 45.9% from three-point land and 50% from the field.

The Landers Nolley matchup is quite an interesting one. We’ll have to wait and see what Izzo cooks up.

Small Ball Domination

As I mentioned earlier, the Hokies are 5-0 on the year.  their guards lead the team in numerous statistical categories. Virginia Tech guards lead the team in points, assists, steals, and even rebounds! So there is no doubt that Virginia Tech will run some sort of small-ball lineup.

Junior Guard Wabissa Bede leads the Hokies in both assists and steals with eight and 1.4 respectively. He is a perfect balance to Nolley’s impressive offensive skills. Wabissa handles the other teams best guard on the perimeter. That way, Nolley does not need to carry the team on both ends.

Wabissa also shoulders the playmaking load with that staggering eight assists. For comparison, Cassius Winston is averaging 7.0 assists on the year. Virginia Tech’s next leading scorer behind Nolley is freshman Guard Nahiem Alleyne. He averages 12.6 points on 46% from the floor.

Lastly, it is important to point out freshman Tyrece Radford. At 6’2″, Radford leads Virginia Tech in rebounds with seven per game. Now, this means Michigan State can dominate down low. Both Malik Hall and Xavier Tillman can clean the glass all game long for the Spartans.

Michigan State takes on Virginia Tech at 5 P.M. Eastern Time. You can catch this game on ESPN 2.

Stay locked on Spartans Wire for more coverage of this game and all things MSU basketball.

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Michigan State Basketball’s Joey Hauser waiver appeal officially denied by NCAA

Joey Hauser’s waiver appeal to the NCAA has officially been denied. He will not play basketball this season.

The saga of the Joey Hauser waiver appeal to play after transferring from Marquette to Michigan State has officially concluded with a result that may annoy and frustrate MSU fans, faculty, and players: the star basketball player’s appeal has officially been denied by the NCAA.

The result and process, which head coach Tom Izzo repeatedly voiced his displeasure of, has led to him resigning from the NABC Board of Directors in what seems to be a show of protest towards the confusing transfer rules in the NCAA.

Spartan fans won’t be able to see Hauser this year, but fortunately Malik Hall, Julius Marble, and Marcus Bingham Jr. all look ready to contribute something in his stead this season, if it’s any consolation.

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MSU blows out Charleston Southern: Three Key Takeaways

Michigan State basketball handled their business against Charleston Southern in a 94-46 win. Here are three key takeaways from this game.

Everyone relax, there is no need to overreact. Michigan State basketball shined in this blowout 94-46 victory over Charleston Southern, but, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Spartans must focus on bigger opponents in the future like Virginia Tech & Duke.

Here are three key takeaways from this game:

Gabe Brown Is Here

Boy oh boy, Gabe Brown looks like a stud. Aaron Henry sat out with a sprained ankle. As a result, Brown played 28 minutes against Charleston Southern. Gabe scored 12 points on 5-7 from the floor. Plus, he tallied up 6 boards, one assist, and one block.

Brown’s development adds depth at the Forward position for Michigan State. Especially if he continues his solid defensive play. Opponents best Forwards will face either Aaron Henry or Gabe Brown as a matchup. That’s a tough ask. Best of all, Gabe looks incredibly confident on the floor.

Xavier Tillman Fulfilling Potential

There were some question marks coming into the season for MSU’s Center spot. I mean, most people would put money on Tillman starting, but, how good would he be? Well guys and gals, he is good.

Tillman ended the night with 21 points on 9-12 shooting from the floor along with 10 rebounds, four assists, and a block. He missed two threes but that’s okay, as long as he keeps taking them. As a Center, you must prove to defenders that you will take open threes. If not, the defense will not respect you from distance.

The most important stat here is definitely Tillman’s four assists. One Spartan must step up as a secondary playmaker in these games. Cassius Winston cannot be the lone playmaker or teams will easily scheme against MSU’s offense. Luckily, Tillman and Rocket Watts have both tallied up plenty of assists as of late.

Young Players Developing Confidence

There are a lot of young guys on this Spartan’s roster coming into their own. In particular, I think of Malik Hall, Rocket Watts, and Foster Loyer. Loyer has a long way to go, but, he is showing some flashes.

Malik Hall came back down to earth against Charleston Southern. Regardless, he still rebounded the ball extremely well and had a few put back points. He even found a few teammates for three assists. The Spartans need some energy off of the bench and Hall plays that role well.

Rocket Watts continues to get better and better each game. Especially when it comes to dishing the rock. Watts ended the night with six assists, including a sick alley-oop to Gabe Brown. Most impressive is his ability to rebound as a Guard. Expect big things from Watts in the tournament this year.

MSU’s next basketball game is against Virginia Tech on Nov. 25 at 5 P.M. You can catch this game on ESPN2.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more basketball coverage to come.

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Game Recap: MSU Basketball handily beats Charleston Southern 94-46

Michigan State Basketball took care of business against Charleston Southern 94-46. Here is a quick recap of this game.

Michigan State Basketball handled their business against Charleston Southern with a 94-46 victory. This game was never close as the Spartans got out to a big lead early on. MSU made sure to pour it on all throughout the game.

Here is your game recap:

Per usual, Cassius Winston got the Spartan’s offense flowing tonight. He displayed impressive dribbling moves and consistently scored at the basket with ease. All the while, he fed teammates all over the court. Everyone on the Michigan State roster ate tonight thanks to Winston. In particular, Cassius found Xavier Tillman on a few different plays for easy buckets at the rim.

MSU doubled Charleston Southern’s points early on in the first half. Charleston Southern played hard, no doubt about that. They were just unable to score. As a result, Michigan State poured it on leading into the second half.

This is where the Spartans really got loose. MSU turned this game into a dunk fest. Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham attacked the rim without any resistance all night long while Malik Hall continued his own impressive play. Best of all, Winston was not the only player dropping dimes in this game.

Rocket Watts found Gabe Brown in transition for a sweet alley-oop, converting on a high-effort defensive play. In particular, Watts looked more aggressive than ever before. He only converted four field goals but took an 14 shots which is what matters. Watts needs to develop his confidence and the jump shot will follow.

Now, there is one highlight that deserves special recognition. With eight minutes left in the second half, Gabe Brown threw down an absolutely vicious dunk. He went baseline and punished the rim like it stole his money. No joke, I expect to see this dunk on Sportscenter later tonight and tomorrow morning. Gabe Brown got up!

Michigan State ended this game with 31 assists on 36 field goals. Notable stat lines from this game belong to Xavier Tillman, Cassius Winston, and Rocket Watts.

Xavier Tillman ended the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and one block. Cassius ended the game with 11 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Finally, Rocket Watts put up 11 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.

After the game, Cassius Winston addressed the crowd after the passing of his brother, Zachary. Note, these are the first public comments since the death of his brother.

Here is a video per Kyle Austin of MLive:

Next, MSU travels to Hawaii for the Maui invitational. Their first game is against Virginia Tech on Nov. 25. This game starts at 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

As always, stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage of MSU Basketball.

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MSU vs. Charleston Southern basketball: Three Things To Watch

Michigan State welcomes Charleston Southern to the Breslin Center tomorrow. Here are three things to watch in this game.

Michigan State welcomes Charleston Southern basketball to the Breslin Center tomorrow for a 6:30 P.M. game. Charleston Southern is 1-3 fresh off of a loss to Dayton, 90-61. Michigan State, on the other hand, is 2-1 comes off a close 76-73 victory over Seton Hall.

Here are three things to watch in this game:

Dontrell Shuler

Dontrell Shuler is without a doubt the best player on the Charleston Southern basketball roster. The 6″2 sophomore guard has seemingly made a leap after last year. In the 2018 season, Shuler only averaged 10.9 points. So far, he’s averaging 20 points on the year.

If you remember, Seton Hall guard Myles Powell gave Michigan State fits. Granted, Powell is a senior and looked like one of the best players in all of college basketball. It is possible for Shuler to also be a problem. He is another small guard and can lure Winston into foul trouble early.

Watch the matchup Tom Izzo puts out against Shuler. I predict Rocket Watts will get a ton of minutes guarding Dontrell Shuler. This could be a good test for Watts on the defensive end.

Newcomer Success

All year, fans have wondered who would be the impressive newcomer. Malik Hall filled this role against Seton Hall and went absolutely bananas. Hall played 19 minutes and made the most of each. He ended the game with 17 points and went 7-7 from the field including three shots from beyond the arc.

It is highly likely Malik Hall gets even more minutes against Charleston Southern. It is highly unlikely he is 100% perfect from the field again, but,he can still contribute well. Especially if his three-point shooting persists. MSU needs a big man that can space the floor.

Guard Depth

Rocket Watts is slowly developing his confidence whereas Foster Loyer looks a bit timid. Outside of Winston, MSU seems to lack Guard depth. Kyle Ahrens just does not look right out on the floor. The Spartans need a Guard to step up in this game, who will it be?

Fans have been hard on Foster Loyer given that he was so good in high school. I think he can still grow this year. Against Seton Hall, Loyer looked a bit more confident. He hit a nice three early in the game and later converted on a layup with the defense draped all over him.

I’m still high on Rocket Watts as well. He ended the Seton Hall victory with eight points, shooting 3-8 from the field. He also grabbed five boards and two steals. Right now, Watts should keep shooting and focus on defensive production. Worst case scenario, he misses shots but comes up with multiple steals in each game.

You can catch this game on Big Ten Network at 6:30 P.M. tomorrow. Cheer on the Spartan Dawgs during this game.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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Twitter reactions to Michigan State Basketball’s victory over Seton Hall

Michigan State basketball edged out a close victory over Seton Hall 76-73. Here are a handful of different twitter reactions to this game.

Michigan State basketball edged out a close victory over Seton Hall 76-73. The Spartans went on a rather impressive 10-2 run to end the game. Cassius Winston ended the game with 21 points and Seton Hall PG Myles Powell 37 points.

Here are a handful of Twitter reactions to this game:

Michigan State plays the Charleston Southern Buccaneers on Nov. 18 at 6:30 P.M. You can check out this game on the Big Ten Network. Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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Game Recap: MSU basketball Squeaks Out Win Over Seton Hall 76-73

Michigan State basketball barely won against Seton Hall 76-73 in an absolutely heart-stopping game. Here is a quick recap of this game.

Michigan State basketball barely won against Seton Hall 76-73 in an absolute barn burner. Seton Hall PG Myles Powell put on an absolute show but could not lead his team to victory. Instead, the Spartans walked away with a well-fought win.

Here is a quick recap of this game:

First Half

Cassius Winston got the Spartans going early on in this game. He scored a beautiful three with space and it was the first three for MSU. Winston also swung a beautiful pass to Thomas Kithier who then buried a three himself.

Foster Loyer saw more minutes than usual due to Winston’s early foul trouble. With eight minutes left in the first half, Winston committed another bad foul. As a result, Loyer came into the game and took over some extra PG minutes. Coach Tom Izzo was irate with Loyer before a TV timeout early on.  Later on, Loyer had a nice layup with a defender draped over his back.

Seton Hall came to play. Myles Powell played tonight despite his severe ankle sprain and he started off hot. Plus, he received a few favorable foul calls. Powell has limitless range even while absolutely smothered. He lead the game with 13 points at the half. Michigan State ended the half leading only by 3 points, 30-27.

Note, Aaron Henry appeared to roll his ankle before the end of the first half. Luckily, he came back to play in the second half and seemed okay.

Second Half

Early in the second half, Xavier Tillman recorded his third foul. The game was tied 40-40 until Malik Hall scored his first points as a Spartan with a beautiful three-pointer. Hall followed that up with another bucket, this time at the rim.

Myles Powell came back and scored on multiple possessions to increase his total to 21 on the night. Malik Hall did not care. Hall hit another three which is huge for Michigan State. They really need some three-point shooting beyond just Winston.

Things got dicey for the Spartans with 10 minutes left in the game. Powell took a flamethrower to the Michigan State defense. Every shot from Powell went in. He even hit an off-balance three. Lucky for the Spartans, Malik Hall continued to pour it on with a dunk and an open three. The game still tied, now at 55-55.

In the last ten minutes, there were multiple lead changes. Myles Powell remained a walking bucket. He hit multiple threes to bring Seton Hall out in front. Rocket Watts hit a transition three to bring Michigan State within two. Two plays later, Winston hit his own transition three to pull the Spartans ahead.

With less than 25 seconds left, Malik Hall finished at the rim with contact. One may argue he deserved an and one. Seton Hall could not score as Tillman blocked Sandro Mamukelashvili at the rim. Winston was fouled and missed his free throw. Luckily, he had a chance later and hit two free throws in a row, giving MSU a three-point victory over Seton Hall.

Winston lead MSU in points with 21 on the night and Powell lead Seton Hall with 37. Michigan State basketball plays again on Nov. 18 against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. You can catch this game on the Big Ten Network.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: We have fired Matt Sheehan. Stephen Brooks is here to replace him

Stephen Brooks helps us break down MSU’s upcoming game.

Matt is traveling so an under-rested Wil flies solo for a bit. Then Stephen Brooks from 24/7 Sports joins to help carry the show over the finish line. Topics range from breaking in to the NCAA to Michigan State’s upcoming games against Seton Hall and Michigan.

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

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NCAA Basketball: Kentucky upset by Evansville a week after beating Michigan State

7 days ago Kentucky beat Michigan State to become the top team in the country. A week later they were upset by Evansville.

Life can come at you pretty fast in sports, and that is especially the case in college basketball. Last week, Kentucky beat Michigan State in Madison Square Garden to take over the #1 spot in the country from the Spartans. Just a week later, Kentucky will be losing claim to that position after they were upset by the Evansville Purple Aces 67-64 at home in the Rupp Arena.

Kentucky’s guards, Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey still look great, but no other players were able to hit double figures. Kentucky only shot 23.5% from three while Evansville went 9/30 from deep, which was ultimately one of the difference-makers in this game. KJ Riley and Sam Cunliffe led the way for the Purple Aces with 18 and 17 points, respectively.

Michigan State will look to avoid a similar fate, albeit to a much better team when they face #12 Seton Hall on the road Thursday. Kentucky won’t be facing a ranked team until they play Ohio State December 21st.

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Cassius Winston posts emotional send-off for brother Zachary on Instagram

Cassius Winston lost his brother over the weekend and late last night he penned an emotional send-off to Zachary on Instagram.

This weekend, Michigan State Basketball’s star point guard Cassius Winston lost his brother Zachary. Cassius still played Sunday against Binghamton in what I think may have been the most emotional basketball game in MSU history, despite the low stakes during the game itself. Last night, Winston took to Instagram to give his brother a very emotional send-off.

Cassius Winston never ceases to amaze me, and this post, which was beautiful, enlightening, and extremely powerful brought tears to my eyes a few times. In particular, this section really got to me:

“I love you so much, if I could carry yo pain I would wear it on my shoulders just to see you happy and wouldn’t think twice. I understand it was to much, I understand I really do and yo story won’t end here. I can promise you that, the next time I run into someone in your situation ima save them, cause that’s wha you would want me to do.”

Anyway, you can read the post below:

 

View this post on Instagram

Ima put this on here cause I need you to read it, and I feel like this the best way for it to get to you. I love you bro, w everything I have in my entire body. I love you so much, if I could carry yo pain I would wear it on my shoulders just to see you happy and wouldn’t think twice. I understand it was to much, I understand I really do and yo story won’t end here. I can promise you that, the next time I run into someone in your situation ima save them, cause that’s wha you would want me to do. I wish it was a term that goes deeper then brother, cause that’s what’s you are to me, 1/3 of my heart. And I’m struggling because there is nothing that can replace that Smoothie. I need you, I miss you. But I’m so proud of you, bro you fought every demon w everything you had in you. You went to war w yourself every single day not knowing if you could win that battle. And you won time after time. You stood tall and you let your family love you, you gave me everything I asked for, just one day you didn’t have enough strength. And that’s ok man, that’s really ok, ppl can’t go through wha you went through, you are the strongest, wisest, kindest, most caring person. The best brother/ gang member I could ever ask for. And I wouldn’t replace you or change any single thing about you. Not one. I don’t like doing these cause I feel like they for show, but I need to you to read this Smoothie and I need you to know, that I love you and I care for you. And the only reason I can sit here and still stand is because I know you not in no more pain. The only reason I’m still standing. After that bro we really got beef, and when I see you again I’m beating yo ass. Cause it’s no way you got me out here trying to adjust to life w out you bro. This shit so deep bro we suppose to see all this out together. But we’ll have that convo the next time I see you Smoothie Bean. Rest up my baby and keep watching over us, save me a seat. And when it’s all said and done ima have so much to tell you. You gone already know but ima tell you anyway. Love you Gang member🖤 wish your story coulda had a diff ending, it’s ok tho enjoy it up there. Ima see you soon enough #LuvSmoothie🖤

A post shared by Cash🖤 #LuvSmoothie🖤 (@cassiuswinston5) on

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