Michigan State Discussion 2018-19

Winston taking over the game in the second half.

Rutgers dissolving into a small puddle.

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We’ll see if Simpson still owns Winston come Sunday. I don’t see how we don’t win if Z is still in his head.

Rutgers bigs gave a clinic in how not to play ball screen defense in the 2nd half. That being said, as a basketball fan, I absolutely love watching Cassius Winston run an offense. He manipulates defenders masterfully in the ball screen game.

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For everyone that thinks Michigan will win easy Sunday you guys may want to rethink it. We lost to Penn State and I’m pretty sure this MSU team is better than Penn State and still a NCAA tourney caliber team if they started the year with this squad. I expect it to be a battle from start to finish. It’s a rivalry game too so you can just expect them to make big shots and to be extremely zoned in on defense. Also can’t overlook Minnesota because they themselves are probably a NCAA tourney caliber team. Tough week coming up.

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I’m not saying Michigan will win easily on Sunday but there is clearly a big difference playing at home versus on the road. And if MSU is expected to make big shots because it’s a rivalry game why isn’t that also to be expected of Michigan?

Michigan has played extremely well at home this season. I wouldn’t expect that to change.

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Winston ( offensive POY ) versus Simpson ( defensive POY ) will tell all Sunday.

So if Ahrens doesn’t play, what is the MSU bench looking like? Kithier has played ten minutes each of the past two games, that seems set to stay. Then in the past two games COMBINED its been Loyer with eight, Brown with six, and Bingham with three.

This presumably means that like when he was previously out it’ll be Brown getting extended run, yeah?

Probably means extra minutes for Gabe Brown if Ahrens can’t go.

Tom Izzo: MSU’s matchup with U-M ‘means a little more’ this year. Here’s why

Really looking forward to the podcast discussing the matchup.

We recorded last night. Editing it and should be up soon.

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Is this MSU team, with injuries to Ward and Langford, similar to M team of Trey Burke’s freshman year 2011-2012? It doesn’t look like they should win a conference title…but they just might. Winston/McQuaid remind me a lot of Burke/Douglas. They don’t have a Tim Hardaway with Langford out. Goins is an upgrade on Smot, Morgan vs Tillman. Novak is better than Ahrens I think, but would probably matched with Goins a lot.

I’m not overlooking them. Tillman is pretty damn good. Even without ward or Langford this is a top 20 team imo.

I actually wish ward was playing. Would be a bigger win and not as bad looking of a loss, if we choke.

Honestly i think we’re the better team either way. If we lose, it will be more of us having a bad gane tHan Michigan st winning it imo. This roster is that good. There’s no team in the country that scares me. It’s all internal. I’m more scared we never get back to the team we saw In December. If that’s the case than we could easily go 1-3 or 2-2 to finish.

“Coach B is a very mild-mannered guy,” Novak said. “He’s usually very educational and doesn’t get fired up too much. He looks at me and he goes, ‘These guys are never coming in here and (expletive) winning again.’ He had this look in his face like he was not kidding.’ ”

Here’s the lob play to Peedi that the article talks about.

https://twitter.com/umhoops/status/1099009721451859968

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I remember that play. Oh, the outrage!!

One of the many, many plays that have cost us games historically - setting the endless tone of ragging on the officials ad infinitum in this forum! :wink:

Oh man, I had repressed that memory. Great play design - how do they swallow the whistle there?