Tag: rocket watts

4 takeaways from Tom Izzo’s post-Ohio State win press conference: Foster Loyer likely out for the season

Tom Izzo spoke to the media on Friday and gave some updates and thoughts on two of his point guards.

Michigan State Basketball and Tom Izzo had two of their best consecutive wins in program history this week with victories over No. 4 Illinois and No. 5 Ohio State, but now Izzo’s attention is fixed on Sunday’s contest against Maryland.

Izzo spoke to the media on Friday following his team’s huge victory on Thursday night and gave some interesting insight into the situation with two of his points guards.

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Below, you can see some of the more interesting tidbits from Izzo’s latest call with the media.

Michigan State Basketball upsets No. 5 Illinois to keep NCAA Tournament hopes alive

Michigan State beats No. 5 Illinois at home in the Breslin Center to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

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Michigan State Basketball still has a chance to play for a National Championship.

On Tuesday, the Spartans were able to upset No. 5 Illinois in East Lansing to earn their biggest and most important win of the season thus far 81-72.

This was complete team win for MSU as they managed to play an extremely physical game against an Illinois team that usually thrives in the paint. The Spartans held Illinois stars Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn to a combined 30 points on 11-for-29 shooting.

Aaron Henry led the way for the Spartans with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Langford set a career-high with 16 rebounds to go along with 13 points, 2 steals, an assist, and a block. Rocket Watts also had probably his most impressive game of the year, scoring 15 points and adding 5 assists while running the offense.

Izzo used a revolving door of bigs on Illinois star Kofi Cockburn, but it was Joey Hauser and Marcus Bingham who stood out. Bingham had 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 really impressive blocks, including one against Kofi Cockburn that was a highlight of the night.

To his credit, Hauser had 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block, and he also helped ice the game with some clutch free throws and this dagger three:

Here are the full highlights from the game:

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WATCH: Marcus Bingham blocks Kofi Cockburn leading to Rocket Watts layup for Michigan State

Marcus Bingham Jr. might have had the play of the game for Michigan State with a huge block on Kofi Cockburn.

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Michigan State Basketball is currently locked in a fun, exciting, and competitive game with No. 5 Illinois. The Spartans have been playing Illinois tough the whole game, playing one of the best games of their season thus far.

One of the best plays of the game came with a huge block from Marcus Bingham Jr. on Illinois star big man Kofi Cockburn. It looked like Cockburn had Bingham beat, but Bingham recovered to swat it off the glass.

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The block then led to a really impressive layup from Rocket Watts.

You can watch the play below:

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Foster Loyer considered questionable to play vs. Purdue with shoulder injury

Michigan State’s starting point guard Foster Loyer is considered questionable to play at Purdue on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury.

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Michigan State’s starting point guard Foster Loyer is considered questionable to play at Purdue on Tuesday evening due to a shoulder injury.

Head coach Tom Izzo revealed to the local media members on Monday afternoon that Loyer has been battling a shoulder injury he experienced during the Spartans’ home match-up vs. Nebraska on Feb. 6.

Loyer has apparently been held out of practice the past few days and it is unknown how much (or if at all) he’ll play on Tuesday against the Boilermakers.

Loyer has started the past two games since he experienced the injury against the Cornhuskers but has struggled to have much of an impact offensively. He is 0-9 from the field in the last three games and has scored just six points (all free throws against Nebraska).

Losing Loyer could have a huge impact on the Spartans’ backcourt vs. Purdue, with Rocket Watts also battling a sickness/illness right now that has kept him out of practice as well. Watts missed the entire second half of Saturday’s game vs. Iowa after feeling sick during the game. He tested negative for COVID-19 and is available on Tuesday, but Izzo is unsure how much he’ll be able to play.

With Loyer and Watts expected to not play a ton of minutes, Izzo said AJ Hoggard, Joshua Langford and Aaron Henry will mostly serve as the Spartans’ point guard on Tuesday.

Tip-off between Michigan State and Purdue is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. This match-up can be seen on ESPN.

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Michigan State Basketball at No. 13 Ohio State: Where to Watch, Game Preview & Prediction

It’s starting to look like must-win time for a Spartan basketball team that is now 8-5 on the 2020-21 college basketball season.

It’s starting to look like must-win time for a Spartan basketball team that is now 8-5 on the 2020-21 college basketball season. Coming off a dreadful 67-37 loss to Rutgers, Michigan State might need to win-out or win the Big Ten tournament if they want to make the NCAA Tournament for the 23 consecutive year that the tournament has been held.

The Spartans will look to bounce back against a ranked Ohio State team that is 13-4 on the season and 7-4 in Big Ten play. Not the easiest game for a team that just played it’s first game in over two weeks on Thursday.

Ohio State will host the game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This will be the first of two scheduled matchups between these two teams this year.

Let’s take a look at this huge game between Michigan State and Ohio State, with game details, things to watch, and my prediction for the contest.

Michigan State Basketball vs. Rutgers: Where to Watch, Game Preview & Prediction

Michigan State is back on the hardwood for a game against Rutgers. The Spartans are coming off a nearly three-week layoff.

The Spartans left their fan base with a horrible taste in their mouths, blowing a 17-point lead before losing to Purdue 55-54, 19 days ago. A couple of days later, a COVID outbreak within the program caused a shutdown, postponing their next three games.

The Spartans will finally return to the hardwood on Thursday, hoping to bounce back after the tough loss to the Boilermakers.

Michigan State will be traveling to Piscataway, New Jersey, for a game at the RAC against Rutgers. The two teams met on January 5th, with the Spartans blowing out the Scarlet Knights, 68-45.

Let’s take a look at this rematch between Michigan State and Rutgers, with game details, things to watch, and my prediction for the contest.

Michigan State Basketball: Tom Izzo speaks on disappointing losses, Rocket Watts’ best position

Tom Izzo addressed the media this week regarding the poor start to Big Ten play and the usage of Rocket Watts. Watch it here.

It has been a disappointing start to the Michigan State Basketball Big Ten schedule. Three straight, ugly losses have shook the faith of many Spartan fans who expected more out of a team that has gotten used to winning under former leader Cassius Winston.

One big issue with the team this year has been the usage of Rocket Watts. Undoubtedly one of MSU’s best players, Watts was thrust into an unfamiliar role as the point guard, and he has not looked comfortable.

Tom Izzo addressed the poor start and the utilization of Watts in the offense in comments to the media this week. You can watch it below:

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Tom Izzo: Rocket Watts requested to be moved out of point guard position

According to Tom Izzo, it was Rocket Watts’ decision to be moved off the point heading into the Minnesota loss.

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One of the biggest story lines around Michigan State Men’s Basketball this season is regarding Rocket Watts. The talented guard has been a natural shooting guard his whole life, but with NBA dreams ahead of him, and the absence of long-time point guard Cassius Winston, Izzo moved Watts to the point to start the season.

That move ended on Monday during MSU’s awful loss to Minnesota. Watts started the game back at the two-guard position, and, according to Tom Izzo, the decision was made by Rocket himself. According to Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, Izzo said that Watts personally requested to be moved off the point:

MSU has a lot of roster decisions to make this season as they try to right the ship. Figuring out where to play Rocket is one of the key ones.

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Michigan State Basketball explodes offensively to beat Oakland, 109-91, on Sunday

Michigan State basketball used an offensive explosion in the second half to cruise past Oakland, 109-91, on Sunday afternoon.

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Michigan State basketball used an offensive explosion in the second half to cruise past Oakland, 109-91, on Sunday afternoon. The game was tight up until halftime, but the Spartans were able to outscore the Golden Grizzlies 65-51 in the second half to pick up the easy win.

The Spartans were led offensively by junior forwards Gabe Brown (20 points) and Aaron Henry (15 points). Five other Spartans also reached double digits in points, including junior forward Joey Hauser, who had a double-double.

Oakland used the deep ball to keep up with MSU for most of the game, hitting 18-of-34 three-point shots. Juniors Rashad Williams and Jalen Moore led Oakland offensively with 36 and 26 points on Sunday.

For a third straight game, MSU got off to a slow, sloppy start with the Spartans committing 10 of their 18 turnovers in the opening frame. Combine that with an incredible shooting performance from Williams of Oakland — who scored 23 points in the first half — and it was a close 44-40 game at halftime.

The second half got off to a much better start for MSU, with the Spartans using a 13-0 run early in the half to build a double-digit lead. Oakland never completely faded, but that early run spearheaded the Spartans’ convincing win in the end.

MSU finished the game shooting 51.3% from the field in what was their best offensive outing of the season. The Spartans shot a season-high 37 three-point attempts, hitting 15 (40.5%).

Sunday’s win against Oakland for now completed a perfect non-conference schedule for the Spartans at 6-0. MSU is looking to add another non-conference game this week to replace this past Wednesday’s canceled match-up at Virginia.

As of right now, MSU is scheduled to next play on Dec. 20 at Northwestern in their first Big Ten game of the season.

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MSU Basketball vs. Oakland: Where to Watch, Game Preview & Prediction

Check out the game details, keys to the match-up, and my game prediction in this Michigan State-Oakland preview.

A familiar program will return to the Breslin Center on Sunday, with the Oakland Golden Grizzlies next up on Michigan State basketball’s slate.

For the ninth straight season, MSU and Oakland will battle it out on the hardwood. This will be the 18th all-time meeting between the Spartans and Golden Grizzlies, with MSU winning each of the previous match-ups.

The Spartans will be returning to the court for the first time all week after Wednesday’s game against Virginia was canceled. Oakland is also well rested with their last game coming on Dec. 5.

Let’s take a look at this match-up against the Golden Grizzlies, with game details, things to watch, and last but not least my prediction for this game.