For the third time in as many years, the Spartans open up their conference season playing at Northwestern, in the first three days of January. But, this is no ordinary road trip, and no ordinary Northwestern team. In a conference race as tight as this one promises to be, each game is extraordinarily important-a loss at this juncture could cripple the Spartans' title chances down the road.
The Wildcats are 9-2, and before double-digit losses to St. John's and Purdue, had won nine straight games to start the season. Their tricky 1-3-1 zone has given MSU some problems in the past, and to go along with that, Northwestern has an array of shooters. Michael Thompson, Drew Crawford, and John Shurna all average over 14 points a game, and the 5'10" Thompson put in 18 against the Boilermakers. On top of that, Thompson averages a prodigious 35.5 minutes a game, and has 29 assists on the year.
The guard has weapons to dish to as well-the 6'8" Shurna shoots above 60% from beyond the 3-point arc, and that could create some serious defensive problems for Delvon Roe and the rest of the Spartans' frontcourt-so far this season, they haven't seen a player with Shurna's combination of size and range.
On offense, MSU would do well to take a page from Purdue's playbook-the Boilers drilled nine threes against Bill Carmody's soft 1-3-1 zone defense, and if they shoot as well as they did in the second half of Friday's game (16-of-26), Tom Izzo's crew should be able to shred the Wildcats. On top of an advantage in athleticism, Michigan State should also have the support of numerous Spartan fans in Welsh-Ryan Arena, and the confidence that comes with six straight wins at that venue. If State is really the team that talked of a national title at the Izzone campout in October, they'll utilize every possible advantage they possess, and return to East Lansing with a solid Big Ten win. My prediction: MSU, 65-50.
--Beau
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