EAST LANSING– Following a week of taking home the Acrisure Classic championship, entering the AP Top 25 for the first time under the Robyn Fralick era, and being slotted at sixth in the NCAA NET rankings, Michigan State aims to keep rolling against Big East competitor DePaul.
While the Spartans showcased bench ability by going 11 players deep in their win against Vanderbilt, junior forward Grace VanSlooten and graduate guard Julia Ayrault put the team on their backs.
The duo finished with a double-double each, combining for 49 points and 22 rebounds. Not only did VanSlooten lead MSU in scoring, she also established a defensive presence that featured four blocks and five steals.
In the backcourt, Ayrault showed off her physicality by leading MSU in rebounds, hauling in ten defensively and totaling 12 for the game. She also led the team in scoring efficiency, going a little over 61% from the field on 13 shots while going 3-5 from beyond the arc. By the end of MSU’s trip out west, VanSlooten and Ayrault crossed the 1,000-point mark on their respective careers.
The expectation against the Blue Demons is for these two to continue to dominate, and for the Spartan’s depth to flex its muscle as well.
As a result of being seriously challenged for the first time this season, the Spartans also discovered some resiliency. In both of the second half against Cal and Vanderbilt, MSU found themselves down 14 and eight respectively.
In a trial MSU had not seen in the young season, the Spartans leaned on toughness and trusted what had been working on both ends of the court. As a result, MSU came back home with a pair of comeback victories. If the Spartans falter early on against DPU, don’t expect them to go down easy.
If the Blue Demons want to catch MSU on the ropes and make the upset bid a reality, creating giveaways on defense could be key. In an eight-point loss to Northwestern, DPU took advantage of 18 Wildcat turnovers and turned those into 23 points.
Giving the Spartans a taste of their own defensive aggressiveness could be an edge for DPU, as MSU committed 24 turnovers that turned into 23 points against Vanderbilt.
Offensively, the Blue Demons need the production from an experienced front and back court of their own, which runs through graduate forward Jorie Allen and junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews.
Staying hot is the key for Johnson-Matthews, who might be coming off her game of the season against NU. She finished with a season high of 20 points, on about 56% shooting, and is averaging 12.4 points on the season.
Allen, the workhorse of this squad, is averaging a team high 18.3 points a game along with 6.3 rebounds a game. While she underperformed against NU scoring 13, she still finished as the team’s second leading scorer, got into double figures, and finished with seven boards.
However, offensive discipline and ball control might be the Blue Demons biggest concern against MSU. The Spartans are ranked fourth in the nation in steals per game and sixth in turnovers forced per game.
If MSU executes its chaotic and aggressive brand of defense like they have all season, this one could be wrapped up early.
MSU will take on DePaul in the Breslin Center on Dec. 8, with tip set for 2 p.m.
