EAST LANSING– No. 7 Michigan State men’s basketball hosts No. 4 Duke in what can be argued the biggest regular season game in years for the Spartans.
This is the first matchup between top ten ranked teams at the Breslin Center; since 2019, when No. 9 Michigan State beat No. 7 Michigan.
The Spartans have rolled their opponents this season with seven of eight wins by more than ten points.
Duke has been battle tested, it has compiled ranked wins over Kansas, Arkansas and outlasted the reigning national champion Florida Gators at Cameron Indoor on Tuesday.
The Blue Devils are led by freshman sensation Cameron Boozer, a frontrunner for Naismith Player of the Year. The son of former NBA all-star Carlos Boozer is second in the nation averaging 23 points per game.
Boozer is the Blue Devils leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
If the Spartans can cut the head off of the snake, it will leave Duke scrambling for depth players to step up, which can be an even tougher task when in a tough road atmosphere.
The Spartans were able to do so against Iowa, as they held the ultra-efficient guard Bennett Stirtz to 14 points on poor shooting splits. Also, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. was limited in a matchup against MSU.
Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr.,the nation’s leading passer, has been just as impactful on the defensive end.
However, the Spartans have yet had to deal with a scoring threat on the inside like Boozer.
Which means for the Spartans to pull off the victory, the senior frontcourt of Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. Cooper must stay out of foul trouble, as he’s had a tendency of picking up multiple fouls early on. Kohler will need to keep the Blue Devils off the glass, against Iowa, the Spartans’ leading scorer also racked up 14 rebounds.
Freshman forward Cam Ward was sidelined with a wrist injury for the Spartans win over Iowa on Tuesday. Ward has stepped up in the Spartans’ toughest games, like his double-double against Arkansas earlier in the season.
Expect a roudy Izzone; the momentum the MSU athletics department has gained over the past week seems unstoppable, especially with fans bought all the way.
Tip-off at the Breslin Center is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Listen live to the Impact 89FM broadcast with Jack Stager and Joe Dez on the call.
