Minnesota @ Michigan State Game Preview (the Spartan Angle)

As we did with football, this hoops season 'GEHG' occasionally tries to give you a game preview from a fellow blogger or educated fan with allegiance to colors other than the beloved Maroon and Gold. The Gophs have another crack at building their currently rather weak NCAA Tourney resume this Wednesday evening, taking on Michigan State at the Breslin Center.

Enter once again, our friend 'Sparty Tom' - who did a great job previewing the wild Gophs vs. Spartans All Hallow's Eve game. Here's his take on the game:

The Minnesota Gopher program gained instant credibility in the eyes of Spartan fans when they hired Tubby Smith as head coach a few years ago. Teams around the Big Ten knew that all Tubby would need is 3-4 years before they are competitive with the conference’s top teams. Well, that time is now. However, in the world of college basketball some coaches just seem to have other team’s number. If Bo Ryan makes the Spartan faithful hold their collective breath (see Bo’s 11-5 record against Izzo), they usually breathe a little easier when Tubby is standing on the opposing sideline. Going back to his days in Kentucky, Tom Izzo has consistently beaten Tubby Smith in both regular season and NCAA tournament games (also see Tubby’s 2-9 record against MSU in his time at Minnesota). With that being said, this may be Tubby’s most talented team since his arrival to the Big Ten conference, and may have a good chance of leaving East Lansing on Wednesday with a resume-building win.

Now to the game at hand: Michigan State has come out of the gate with a 3-0 conference record, with wins over Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The Spartans boast a talented lineup that returns almost every guard from the 2009 National Title run. Their growing pains have come at the center and power forward position, where they are inexperienced and undersized when playing other elite-level teams. Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman have shown flashes, but they are freshmen…and freshmen are inconsistent. Sixth man Draymond Green (power forward) has been impressed everyone in his sophomore season with his passing ability and knack for getting the tough points in the paint; however he is undersized at 6’6”. At the guard spot, the Spartans boast as much talent as anyone in the Big Ten, with Kalin Lucas, Korie Luscious, Durrell Summers, and Chris Allen. These guys love to turn the game into a track meet. On the Minnesota side, they are among the nation’s top teams in many defensive categories including turnover margin and scoring margin. These Gophers can score the basketball with anyone in the Big Ten, and Sparty better be prepared for it. Lawrence Westbook and Blake Hoffarber are dangerous and will be key to any Gopher upset, as they are both averaging double digit scoring numbers. As a team, Minnesota is averaging 84.1 points in their last nine games.

If Spartan fans are expecting an easy Izzo vs Tubby victory, they may be greatly disappointed. The Gophers are playing tough basketball, and the Spartans are having some attitude issues…aka Kalin Lucas being tossed out of practice last week for lack of effort and leadership. In the end, I believe talent will win out in this one. It may be a close game, but the Spartans are too tough to beat at the Breslin Center, and they may be just starting to hit their stride (or at least Spartan fans hope so).

Prediction: Michigan State – 76 Minnesota - 67

Thanks for that 'Sparty Tom' - well done as always. Check back for Gopher Bandanna Guy's take later today.