Tag: msu vs penn state basketball

3 Key Takeaways: Michigan State Basketball defeats Penn State on the road

Michigan State basketball beat Penn State on the road last night in a tightly contested Big Ten game. Here are 3 key takeaways.

Michigan State basketball beat Penn State last night, 79-71, in a tightly contested Big Ten road game. Xavier Tillman led the Spartans with a career-high 23 points and a dominant 15 rebounds. Michigan State won despite turnovers and a 19-point deficit in the first half.

Here are three key takeaways from this game:

1. Xavier Tillman Is The Best Defender in the Big Ten

Xavier Tillman is ridiculously talented on defense. Last night, he put on another defensive clinic against Penn State Forward Lamar Stevens. Note, Stevens will likely finish his career as one of the best Penn State basketball players of all time. Tillman still clamped him up, especially in the second half during crucial moments. No doubt Tillman will be Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year once this season wraps up.

2. Michigan State Winning Despite Sloppy Play

Cassius Winston has made some very sloppy plays as of late. For instance, he stepped out of bounds last night against Penn State. This turnover was followed by a Nittany Lions 10-2 run, including a flurry of three-pointers. Later in the game, Tillman threw the ball away to Penn State. Michigan State’s turnover problem is not going away and this spells trouble for Sparty in the NCAA tournament.

3. Starters Carry The Team Again

Last night, Penn State’s bench unit contributed 19 total points. In comparison, MSU’s bench unit contributed eight total points. Marcus Bingham Jr. and Thomas Kithier did not score any points. The Spartan’s bench does not need to score an absurd amount of points per game, however, they must contribute more than just eight. We’ll see how this performance plays out as we enter tournament season.

Michigan State plays against Ohio State this upcoming Sunday at 4:30 for a shot at the Big Ten title. The game broadcasts live on CBS.

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Michigan State basketball overcomes 19-point deficit in 79-71 victory over Penn State

Michigan State basketball overcomes a 19-point deficit vs. Penn State on the road tonight. Read more details about this game in this recap.

Michigan State basketball beat the Penn State Nittany Lions tonight, 79-71. The Spartans trailed Penn State by as many as 19 points in this game. This did not matter. MSU mounted a ridiculously impressive comeback in a tough, road atmosphere.

Here is a quick recap of this game:

First Half

Penn State won the opening tip-off which resulted in a Mike Watkins alley-oop. On the next play, Penn State Guard Jamari Wheeler hit a wide-open corner three. Then, Cassius Winston stepped out of bounds. The Nittany Lions started this game with a 10-2 run. Luckily, Michigan State answered back with two straight buckets. Spartans trailed Penn State 10-6 with 15 minutes left in the first half.

Xavier Tillman threw down an impressive putback dunk, bringing Penn State’s lead to only one point. Both teams traded buckets for the next five minutes. The Nittany Lions were 6-9 from deep in the first ten minutes of this game. Penn State led the Spartans 25-13 with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Aaron Henry scored and then set up teammate Rocket Watts for a three-pointer. Penn State answered right back with two three-pointers, bringing the lead to 15 points with seven minutes left in the first half.  Over the next seven minutes, Penn State hit more shots from deep and did not let up the offensive end.

The Spartans trailed Penn State 46-31 at the half.

Second Half

Aaron Henry splashed a three-pointer to start the second half. Rocket Watts scored on back-to-back possessions, cutting the lead down to just eight points. The Spartans continued their offensive flurry with, shooting 6/6 from the floor in the first four minutes of the second half.

Aaron Henry scored on back-to-back possessions, including a three-pointer, to tie the game at 49 apiece. Then, Xavier Tillman gave MSU its first lead of the game thanks to a beautiful Cassius Winston assist. Penn State had no choice but to call a timeout after buckets from both Winston & Watts.

Rocket Watts and Cassius Winston scored back-to-back three-pointers, stretching the MSU lead to 10 points. Penn State would not go away. Lamar Stevens converted two consecutive and-one plays. One play came as the result of an eight-second backcourt violation from Michigan State.

Winston drew a foul and hit one free-throw, boosting MSU’s lead to six points with 5:30 left in the game. Penn State cut into this lead but the Spartans pushed back. Tillman scored down low, giving MSU a 72-67 lead with less than three minutes remaining.

Aaron Henry scored in the lane. Then, Cassius Winston scored on a drive to the lane, converting on an and-one opportunity. Kyle Ahrens hit two free-throws in the last 30 seconds of this game.

Michigan State was victorious over Penn State in a tough road game. Xavier Tillman had a career-high 23 points and he snagged 14 rebounds.

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Five Most Important Players: Michigan State Basketball faces Penn State

Michigan State basketball plays against Penn State tomorrow night on ESPN. Here are the 5 most important players in this game.

Michigan State Spartans basketball travels to the Bryce Jordan Center for a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. MSU is currently 20-9 overall and 12-6 in Big Ten Conference play. Penn State is currently 21-8 overall and 11-7 in Big Ten Conference play.

Here are the five most important players in this game:

1. Cassius Winston

Cassius Winston is the most important player for Michigan State basketball in every single game. He can swing a game in less than five possessions with quick transition threes and long-distance three-point shots. All the while, Winston finds wide-open teammates for relatively easy buckets. As a result, he is number one on this particular list of the five most important MSU players.

2. Xavier Tillman Sr.

Another Big Ten matchup against a stellar Forward in Penn State senior Lamar Stevens. Xavier Tillman has been a juggernaut on defense all throughout the year. As of late, he is nothing short of a brick wall near the rim. Tillman stops defenders in their tracks and swats away shots from the best Big Ten players in the conference. He will be vital to Michigan State’s success in this game.

3. Gabe Brown

Gabe Brown is really struggling as of late. He has scored 17 points in the past four games. All 17 points came in just one game against Nebraska. Brown scored zero points in the three other games. Gabe provides energy and spaces the floor for Michigan State. He is crucial to a deep tournament run and must play better against the Nittany Lions.

4. Malik Hall

Well, it looks like Malik Hall is the starting four for MSU now. Furthermore, he is eating up minutes at the position with Thomas Kithier as the backup. Marcus Bignham Jr. has played fewer and fewer minutes as the season comes to an end. Therefore, it only makes sense for Malik Hall to be on this list.

5. Aaron Henry

Aaron Henry did so much more than the box score suggests. He was magnificent on defense, guarding both bigs and perimeter players. He even had a ridiculously impressive block in a crucial moment down the stretch. Henry can raise MSU’s ceiling with his athleticism and shooting. He is easily one of the five most important players in every Spartan basketball game.

Michigan State plays against Penn State tomorrow night at 7 P.M. on ESPN.

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3 Things To Watch: Michigan State Basketball vs. Penn State

Michigan State basketball prepares for a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Here are three things to watch in this upcoming game.

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Michigan State basketball prepares for the penultimate game of this season against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Spartans just beat Maryland 78-66 in a crucial road game. Penn State, on the other hand, just lost to Iowa 77-68.

Here are three things to watch in this game:

1. Michigan State On A Winning Streak

MSU has won its past three games against Nebraska, Iowa, & Maryland. Penn State has lost 3 of its last 4 games to Illinois, Indiana, & Iowa. Right now, the Spartans are absolutely red hot, beating two of the best teams in the Big Ten. Both teams are trending in the opposite direction. This is the perfect storm for another Michigan State road win. Watch for another strong start from the Spartans on the road.

2. Lamar Stevens vs. Xavier Tillman Sr.

Penn State Forward Lamar Stevens is a beast. He averages 17.7 points per game on 44% shooting, along with 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Likewise, MSU Forward Xavier Tillman Sr. is a monster on defense. Tillman recently clamped up Iowa Forward and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Luka Garza. Watch for Tillman to lock up Lamar Stevens in a similar fashion.

3. Cassius Winston Puts On Another Show

As of late, Cassius Winston is going off. He currently averages 18.5 points per game on 43% shooting from the floor. He also dishes out 5.8 assists per game. Most importantly, Winston can flip a game upside down in just a handful of possessions. Cassius can push the pace for a quick transition bucket and hits pull up threes with ease.

Cassius Winston has scored a total of 77 points in the last four games and dished out 26 assists as well. His performance on the court is nothing short of stellar. Watch for another high-level game from Winston against Penn State.

MSU takes on Penn State this Tuesday at 7 P.M. on ESPN.

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3 Key Takeaways: Michigan State Basketball loses to Penn State

Michigan State Basketball lost in tragic fashion to Penn State, 75-70 last night. Here are 3 key takeaways from this game.

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Michigan State Basketball suffered a tough loss at home to the Penn State Nittany Lions last night, 75-70. Michigan State brought it close towards the end but could not overcome Penn State. The Spartans are now 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Big Ten Conference play.

Here are three takeaways from this game:

1. Turnovers Haunt Michigan State Basketball

As a team, MSU ended this game with a whopping 15 total turnovers. The Nittany Lions capitalized on this high number of turnovers, shooting eight more shots than the Spartans. Turnovers always hurt but sting even more in close games. Penn State’s defense was on full display, forcing turnovers left and right throughout this game. Michigan State must work on reducing turnovers immediately. Especially during this crucial stretch in February.

2. Cassius Winston Needs Support

Cassius Winston is absolutely excellent but he needs help. Penn State trapped Winston and forced him to pass the ball away. Teams want other MSU players to make critical decisions in key moments, not Cassius. Winston scored 25 total points against Penn State. The bench contributed 18 total points and the other starting four players contributed 27 total points. Teammates can and will step up to help Cassius.

3. The Big Ten Is Really Good

I think people really underrate the Big Ten right now. Andy Katz put 10 Big Ten teams into his most recent March Madness Bracket Prediction. Competition is incredibly arduous and no game is an easy win. Even Tom Izzo gave credit to the impressive depth of high-quality teams in the Big Ten conference. I think more people will wise up to the Big Ten’s strength towards the end of the season, but, only time will tell.

Michigan State travels to the Crisler Center this Saturday for a 12 P.M. game. You can watch this game on Fox. Stay locked on SpartansWire for more MSU Basketball coverage to come.

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