Game Day Essentials: Game #30 vs Michigan St

Michigan St Spartans

Head Coach: Tom Izzo

Location: East Lansing, MI
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Spartans

Mascot: Sparty

Line: Michigan St by 3.5
Typical Rotation Depth: 8+

KenPom rank: 28

A couple of Famous Alumni: Magic Johnson, Draymond Green

Other:  

• Blaise Keita is a game time decision though not likely to play
• Nebraska is 12-1 when they score 70+, 3-13 when held under 70
• Nebraska lost the first meeting with the Spartans 74-56 after being held to 17 points in the first half. Derrick Walker led the Huskers with 15 while Tyson Walker led Michigan St with 21.

KenPom Analysis: Their gameplan is typical for an Izzo team where they pass the ball well on offense and they're all about sitting back on defense to try and force poor shots.  Offensively they struggle inside but convert well from 3 when they take them.

Player to watch: G Tyson Walker

Walker is having a heck of year shooting from outside, 42% for the season and 48.5%. He's made a smooth transition from PG to SG.

Player to watch: AJ Hoggard

MSU's starting PG is the Spartan who gets to the FT line the most. The distributor isn't a great shooter.

Player to watch: Joey Hauser

The big stretch 4 is shooting 43.9% from 3 and is their small ball 5.

KenPom most used lineup

Others to watch

• Jaden Akins is another guard in addition to Walker, Hauser, and Brooks who can knock down 3s. 6'6" Pierre Brooks is a 3pt shooting forward at the 3
• Mady Sissoko is a dominant rebounder but tends to be foul prone 
• 6'8" F Malik Hall is a 3 level scorer but has struggled with his shot during conference play.
• 6'9" Jaxon Kohler has been a valuable backup at the 5, converting at a high percentage inside
• 6'2" Tre Holloman is freshman PG depth

Probable starters for Nebraska
5    Sam Griesel    G    6-7

30  Keisei Tominaga    G    6-2

10  Jamarques Lawrence - G  6-3

0   C.J. Wilcher    G    6-5

13  Derrick Walker    F    6-9

Bench

32  Wilhelm Breidenbach    F    6-10

12  Denim Dawson - F  6-6

15   Blaise Keita C   6-11

12   Sam Hoiberg    G    6-0

33  Oleg Kojenets    F    7-0

35  Henry Burt  F  6-6

24  Jeffrey Grace III  G  6-3

Injured

3   Quaran McPherson   G   6-3 - Out for the Year

4   Juwan Gary  F  6-6 - Out for the Year

25  Emmanuel Bandoumel    G    6-4 - Out for the Year

Redshirting 

2   Ramel Lloyd Jr.  G 6-6

31  Cale Jacobsen  G  6-4

The Skinny: 

Who is the best player on this Nebraska team?  Whenever I get asked this I have to pause because I don't really know the answer. I suppose you could say Walker or Griesel but every game it's often different.  If teams gameplan to take someone away, someone else steps up.  This has become a team better than the sum of its parts and that's part of what makes it so likeable. 

Michigan St is fresh off losing a game where they scored over 100 points and led by 10+ with a minute to go.  They certainly have the firepower to blow Nebraska away but like most teams in the B1G find it pretty hard to win on the road in conference.

A capacity PBA will try and will this extremely likable Nebraska team into a postseason against a very good MSU team. Can they do it?

Prediction: Nebraska 71 - MSU 68