EAST LANSING– Michigan State men’s basketball returns to play at the Breslin Center after a five-spot demotion in the AP Poll, to No. 15, after a disappointing showing against the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday.
The Spartans welcome back a familiar face in UCLA forward Xavier Booker. The former five-star averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his two-season stint at Michigan State.
Booker headlined a loaded transfer class recruited by Bruins head coach Mick Cronin, who also landed guard Donovon Dent this offseason. Last March, Dent was the lead guard for the New Mexico Lobos, who made an NCAA Tournament run before losing to Michigan State in the Round of 32.
The Bruins are gearing up for the second leg of a Michigan road trip. UCLA lost the first game of the trip, a 30-point loss to No. 1 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday.
Cronin has voiced his concerns with the new Big Ten and the unique challenges it delivers for the Los Angeles squad playing in a Midwest-based conference.
The Bruins are a 3-4 team on the road, with a -4.9 point differential, which is much worse than their 14-1 record on their home court.
Both teams are coming off of tough losses and Tuesday’s contest can be a real fork in the road for both programs. Another upset loss to an unranked team could result in Michigan State sliding down bracket projections. And a loss for UCLA could have its squad teetering on the outside of the bubble.
The Spartans were ambushed with a three-point shooting masterclass by Wisconsin on Friday and couldn’t recover to pull off an upset. Against UCLA, the Green and White must have gotten out to a start early and found the rhythm that had gotten the Spartans out to a 19-2 start to the season.
Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler has been in a shooting slump as of late. The veteran stretch-big has averaged 8.6 points per game in the last eight games. Kohler reached double figures in the first 17 games of the season and averaged 14.3 points per game in those contests.
UCLA is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country, which gives Kohler an opportunity to dominate the glass and get some easier baskets.
An increase in Kohler’s production can be the answer to what MSU needs to get back to its winning ways.
Michigan State takes on UCLA at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Breslin Center. Catch the radio broadcast locally on Impact 89FM or on our website: https://impact89fm.org/listenlive/
