EAST LANSING, MI. – Last week, Michigan State women’s basketball shot up the AP Top 25 rankings. A couple of weeks ago, the Spartans stood as the 24th-ranked team in the nation. With the eight-game win streak Sparty is on right now, head coach Robyn Fralick’s team jumped up to the 15th spot in the national rankings.
MSU had a successful year in the non-conference portion of its schedule, going undefeated and handily winning games.
Currently, Michigan State boasts a 16-1 record, with the lone loss coming on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers, which occurred in early December. The Green and White haven’t let the 0-1 start in conference play halt its early-season momentum.
Coming off a west coast road trip where MSU defeated Oregon and Washington, Fralick’s squad is set for a top 25 matchup against the No. 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Breslin Center.
With 19 total meetings all-time, the Huskers have won 13 of those matchups against the Spartans. The most recent game between these Big Ten foes came down to the wire when they met in Lincoln last January. The Big Red took home an 85-80 victory over MSU.
The last time these squads met in East Lansing was during Coach Fralick’s first season as head coach, and the Green and White fell short against the Huskers 80-74.
Nebraska has struggled as of late with a 2-3 record in its last five games. The losses came against highly regarded teams in USC, Iowa, and UCLA, with the Bruins being its most recent opponent. Michigan State, on the other hand, is undefeated in its last five contests, and the Spartans’ latest game ended with a double-digit comeback win against the Oregon Ducks. This was the Green and White’s first win in Eugene and the second win ever against Oregon.
MSU junior guard Rashunda Jones has been on fire in her last few outings and is coming off one of her best performances yet. Jones notched 23 points on the night, which is a season high and was productive on the defensive end with a game-high of five steals. The starting point guard has been a large reason why the Spartans have been so efficient recently, and will play a significant role against the Cornhuskers.
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten has been one of the most consistent players on Fralick’s squad all year. VanSlooten faced her former team, Oregon, in the Green and White’s last game and produced 16 points and 10 boards. This was VanSlooten’s fourth double-double of the season and she will need to use her strength and 6′ 3” frame against a Nebraska team that holds eight players who are listed at 6’ 0” or higher.
For Nebraska, the Huskers will be relying on their most efficient scorer, sophomore guard Britt Prince. Prince had an impressive freshman campaign last year, leading to her being named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch List. So far this season, Prince leads Nebraska in points per game, averaging 18.3. She complements that stat with averaging 4.4 assists per game, leading her team in that category as well. She was kept in check against UCLA, only putting up six points. The 50% three-point shooter will be the main player MSU’s aggressive defense needs to look out for.
Michigan State will be vying to keep its undefeated home record alive this season and bring its three-game losing streak against the Big Red to a halt.
The Huskers are looking to get back in the win column and continue their recent success against the Spartans.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, in East Lansing. Watch live on BTN Network.
