Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Wil and Matt do a little basketball preview. They play reasonable genie, asking a genie for reasonable things related to MSU hoops.
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Wil and Matt do a little basketball preview. They play reasonable genie, asking a genie for reasonable things related to MSU hoops. Then they play take Tuesday and finish the show with some season superlatives.
You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
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Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today listed Watts as one of the top breakout players in all of college basketball entering this season.
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Rocket Watts finished last year strong, and that impressive final stretch has him on the lookout by many as we enter the upcoming season — including Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today.
In September, Rothstein listed Watts as one of the top breakout players in the Big Ten entering the 2020-21 season, and this week he elevated that claim to one of the top breakout players in all of college basketball.
“Watts averaged 17.8 points during Michigan State’s final four games of last season before things were shut down due to COVID-19. If he can keep his offense elite while also creating for his teammates, this 6-2 sophomore has the requisites to be one of the best players in the Big Ten,” Rothstein wrote on Watts.
Watts averaged 9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season, and as Rothstein said really came on strong down the stretch for the Spartans. The sophomore guard is expected to take on a larger role this year with Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman off to the NBA. It is unknown at this point if Watts will take over Winston’s spot as the lead point guard or if he’ll remain more of a scoring threat off the ball.
Click here to read the entire list of players that made Rothstein’s breakout list, including two other guys from Big Ten squads.
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NCAA basketball Insider Jon Rothstein lists Michigan State basketball Guard Rocket Watts as a Big Ten Breakout player. Read more here.
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Michigan State men’s basketball will look very different this season with the absence of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman. As a result, the Spartans need a player to step up and provide productivity in a deep Big Ten.
College Hoops Today NCAA basketball Insider Jon Rothstein has listed Michigan State guard Rocket Watts as one of 10 Big Ten breakout players.
Last season, Watts averaged 9 points, 1.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds. This season, he will be asked to play more as a primary ball-handler. There is serious potential for Watts averaging more points and more assists. All the while, he will be a stellar defender on the perimeter.
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CBS Sports predicts that Michigan State Basketball’s Rocket Watts is going to be a breakout start in the 2020-21 college basketball season.
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David Cobb & the college basketball experts at CBS Sports put together a list of potential college basketball breakout stars for the 2020-21 season. Michigan State’s very own Rocket Watts has made the cut as one of the breakout start predictions.
CBS Sports writer Kyle Boone picked Rocket Watts. Here is what Boone had to say about Watts heading into next season:
Despite losing Cassius Winston and likely Xavier Tillman too, Tom Izzo’s Spartans should keep Spartan-ing along in 2020-21 in part because of the presence of second-year star Watts. Last season Watts was a bit piece on a preseason No. 1 team, but he’s primed to fill a major void of offensive production. And it looks like he’ll be ready right away: After averaging around only 9.0 points per game most of the season, he finished on a high note, averaging nearly double that in his final four games as his role steadily grew. That new role should be his new norm as he takes on the burden as the most fearless bucket-getter on a Sparty team that should enter the season as a top-10 team.
These are the players our @CBSSportsCBB experts think can become breakout stars this upcoming season:
• Chris Duarte
• Casey Morsell
• Rocket Watts
• CJ EllebyArticle: https://t.co/4APmBOg1jq pic.twitter.com/CLzrr81Aoh
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) July 18, 2020
Rocket Watts is already a fan favorite among MSU fans. I imagine the love from fans will be even stronger next year if he breaks out to become one of the best Big Ten perimeter players.
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Michigan State Basketball’s Rocket Watts, Aaron Henry, and AJ Hoggard all got together to play 1v1 King of the Court. Watch this clip.
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BallIsLife put out a video on YouTube of Michigan State’s Rocket Watts, AJ Hoggard, and NBA prospect Aaron Henry playing some 1v1 King of the Court together. Anyone craving MSU hoops should sit down and watch this video.
Check out the entire video below:
First and foremost, I’m ecstatic to see AJ Hoggard facing off against his soon to be teammates. Hoggard is a solid-sized guard with exquisite handles and a pure jumper. His abilities will be of service for Michigan State next year with the departure of Cassius Winston.
Rocket Watts and Aaron Henry also look great in this clip. Note, Henry still has time to withdraw from the 2020 NBA Draft. The early entry deadline is now set for August 17.
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Michigan State men’s basketball moved up two spots to the No. 8 spot in ESPN’s updated way-too-early 2020 rankings. Read why here.
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According to ESPN, the Michigan State men’s basketball team is going to be very formidable this year.
ESPN released an updated version of their way-too-early 2020 rankings this morning in which the Spartans surged up to the No. 8 spot. Note, in the previous iteration of the way-too-early rankings, Michigan State originally ranked No. 10.
Here is what Jeff Borzello of ESPN had to say about his ranking for the Spartans:
The ultimate X factor in college basketball next season is going to be Joshua Langford, who missed the past season and a half because of a left foot injury. Langford has a year of eligibility left, though, and Tom Izzo told reporters in May that “if he’s healthy, his hope is to play.” Of course, we haven’t seen Langford play since December 2018, but if he is anything close to his pre-injury self, Izzo will have one of the best wings in the country at his disposal. He was averaging 15 points prior to his injury and hit double figures in every game as a junior. Fortunately for Izzo, he doesn’t need to count on Langford being a star again. Gabe Brown and Aaron Henry should both be back on the wings, and Marquette transfer Joey Hauser will bring perimeter shooting and scoring punch after sitting out last season. But a healthy Langford would be a great luxury to have.
Keep in mind, this ranking includes a projected starting lineup of Rocket Watts, Gabe Brown, Aaron Henry, Joey Hauser, and Xavier Tillman. It’s uncertain just yet if Henry or Tillman will return to Michigan State. We’ll see how these decisions impact the Spartan’s rankings for the 2020 season.
Iowa and Wisconsin are the only two Big Ten teams ahead of MSU in this version of ESPN’s rankings.
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Spartans Wire takes a look back at the 2019-20 season for Michigan State Basketball’s offense and defense. Review the season with us.
Michigan State basketball won a share of the 2019-20 Big Ten Regular Season Championship and this was no small task. The Big Ten was excellent this year. Certainly one of the best conferences in all of NCAA basketball. The Spartans held firm on defense all throughout the year but struggled at times on offense.
First, let’s talk about MSU’s defense which was anchored by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Xavier Tillman. For starters, the Spartans ended this season with a 93.3 Defensive Rating which ranks 2nd in the Big Ten Conference. Also, MSU held opponents to 64.7 points per game.
Xavier Tillman and Cassius Winston ranked in the top ten in Big Ten Total Steals with 37 & 36 respectively and Steals Per Game with both players averaging 1.2 Steals Per Game. Plus, Xavier Tillman ranked in the top five for Total Blocks and Blocks Per Game with 65 and 2.1 respectively. As a team, MSU ranked first in Big Ten Blocks Per Game with 5 Blocks Per Game.
Marcus Bingham Jr., Aaron Henry, and Rocket Watts both played pretty well on defense this year to boot. Bingham Jr. blocked the 12th most shots in the Big Ten with a total of 42. Henry struggled earlier in the season but improved significantly on the backend. All in all, this was a rather impressive year for MSU on defense.
Now, let’s talk about the offense. We’ll get the criticism out of the way first. Despite an impressive 14-6 record in the Big Ten, Michigan State’s offense was immensely frustrating at times. Nothing was more frustrating this year than the struggles with turnovers. As a team, MSU ranked third in Big Ten Turnovers Per Game with 12.5.
On the road, the Spartans suffered from sluggish offensive starts. This was most notable in a 71-42 loss at Purdue. Cassius Winston scored a team-high ten points. Joshua Langford’s absence left a big hole on the perimeter. Many fans thought Aaron Henry or Gabe Brown would fill this hole but that did not happen. Instead, Rocket Watts provided a scoring boost on the backend of this season after some early struggles.
Alright, now it’s time to brag and boast. Cassius Winston put on a clinic this year in multiple games. Most notably, Winston snapped on Michigan with 32 points and 9 assists. Winston finished the season ranked 3rd in Big Ten Total Points and Big Ten Points Per Game and 4th in Big Ten Total Assists and Big Ten Assist Per Game.
Winston didn’t shine alone this season. Watts and Tillman were reliable on offense as well. Here is where MSU ranked offensively as a team amongst Big Ten opponents:
While there were certainly frustrating offensive struggles, the Spartans were stellar on offense. Per usual, they were excellent on defense.
MSU Offense 2019-20 Season Grade: A
MSU Defense 2019-20 Season Grade: A
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The Spartans Wire Michigan State Basketball Postseason Award Results are in. Find out who won Rookie of the Year for the 2019-20 season.
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The Spartans Wire Michigan State Basketball 2019-20 Postseason Award results are in! Fans cast votes for multiple categories as did our staff. We will now post results from fan voting along with our staff picks as well.
First, we will provide you with the results for 2019-20 Rookie of the Year.
Rocket Watts took in 78% of the 1,050 votes in our Rookie of the Year Poll. Watts averaged 9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in his first year at Michigan State.
Here is how the voting breakdown for the other choices:
Rocket Watts is the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year according to our staff.
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Vote in the Spartans Wire Michigan State basketball Postseason awards here. Vote on the MVP, Most Valuable Player Award today!
Welcome to the Spartans Wire Michigan State basketball Postseason Awards for the 2019-20 season. Over the next week, we will post a poll for fans to vote on our awards each and every business day. Then, at the end of the month, we will provide the fan voting results and our staff picks.
The final poll is here. Vote now for the Most Valuable Player for the Spartans this year. Who was the most important player Michigan State this season?
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Check out our award polls for Rookie of the Year, 6th Man of the Year/Unsung Hero, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Best Win/Best Single-Game Performance, Best Moment, Best Block, and Best Play.
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The Spartans Wire Michigan State basketball Postseason Awards are here. Vote for the best play from the 2019-20 season today!
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Welcome to the Spartans Wire Michigan State basketball Postseason Awards for the 2019-20 season. Over the next week, we will post a poll for fans to vote on our awards each and every day. Then, at the end of the month, we will provide the fan voting results and our staff picks.
Now, you can cast your vote for the best play from this Spartan basketball season. What play deserves to sit atop the rest?
Here are our picks for the best play of the year:
1. Cassius Winston Half Court Shot Vs. Maryland
The week of the buzzer-beaters continues.
Here, it's reigning B1G POY Cassius Winston giving No. 24 @MSU_Basketball the double-digit lead at the half. pic.twitter.com/trKucwMYqH
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 1, 2020
2. Rocket Watts Behind The Back Pass Vs. Binghamton
The freshman can dish, too.@RocketWatts | @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/9XdvK3wqoO
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) November 11, 2019
3. Cassius Winston Crafty Spin Move Vs. Charleston Southern
The reigning B1G POY is a magician near the rim.@cassiuswinston | @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/9hepNVQc9b
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) November 18, 2019
4. Cassius Winston Stepback 3-Pointer Vs. Michigan
"ANKLE-BREAKER!" pic.twitter.com/ibEk9eakmq
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) January 5, 2020
5. Xavier Tillman Game-Winning Putback Dunk Vs. Illinois
What a crazy finish in Champaign.@MSU_Basketball gets late go-ahead basket and survives. pic.twitter.com/5PEWTQzAPf
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 12, 2020
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Check out our award polls for Rookie of the Year, 6th Man of the Year/Unsung Hero, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Best Win/Best Single-Game Performance, and Best Moment.
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