• What: Michigan State vs. Nebraska
• When: Saturday noon
• Or: Breslin Center
• Television/Radio: Big Ten Network/Spartan Sports Network Radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; Sirius/XM Ch. 390 (MSU broadcast), 389 (Nebraska broadcast)
• Records/Rankings: MSU is 7-2 and ranked No. 25 in the coaches’ poll and just outside the top 25 in the Associated Press poll, although both of those polls are done in haste and group thinking. As the season progresses, the Kenpom.com and NET rankings will be more credible measures. Nebraska is 6-1 and unranked in the two major polls, but receives votes in both.
• Betting line: MSU-5.5
• Coaches: Michigan State — Tom Izzo is 714-297 in his 30th season as head coach, all with the Spartans. Nebraska — Fred Hoiberg is 184-151 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, including 69-95 in his sixth season with the Huskers.
• Series: MSU leads 23-10 all-time, including 16-4 since the Huskers joined the Big Ten. MSU, however, lost last season’s only meeting, 77-70 at Nebraska, after the Spartans had won 11 in a row against the Huskers.
Projected compositions
MSU
C (10) Szymón Zapala (7-0) 5.3
F (0) Jaxon Kohler (6-9) 8.4
L (3) Jaden Akins (6-4) 12.4
G (5) Tre Holloman (6-2) 7.7
PG (1) Jeremy Fears Jr. (6-2) 7.8
Nebraska
C (34) Braxton Meah (7-1) 4.3
PF (4) Juwan Gary (6-6) 10.7
SF (3) Brice Williams (6-7) 18.4
L (0) Connor Essegian (6-4) 14.7
PG (24) Rollie Worster (6-5) 8.9
• MSU update: The Spartans are coming off a 90-72 win at Minnesota on Wednesday night in their Big Ten opener, which was pretty much a wire-to-wire domination of the Gophers. MSU has a chance to get to 2-0 in the Big Ten if it can beat Nebraska, before bowing out of conference play for three more games – against Oakland in Detroit on Dec. 17, at home against Florida Atlantic on December 21. and at home against Western Michigan on December 30. If the Spartans win Saturday’s game against the Huskers, they will have a great opportunity to go 11-2 when they return to Big Ten play in January. MSU is 7-2 and playing well in large part because it is in the top 40 in offensive and defensive efficiency and is near the top of college basketball in shooting percentage 2-pointers (59.1%) and free throw shooting (78.8%), meaning they score a ton of points in the paint and in transition.
• Nebraska Update: The Huskers were better than expected and maybe I should have expected more, considering this is a program coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade, with the return of two pillars: winger Brice Williams and striker Juwan Gary. If center Rienk Mast had been healthy and available this season (he gave MSU games a year ago), this is definitely an NCAA tournament caliber team. That might be the case anyway. Nebraska is ranked 44th in Kenpom, with a double-digit road win against a Creighton team that just beat Kansas and just one loss, by three points, on a neutral field to a good Saint Mary’s program.
• Correspondence analysis: The Huskers have been pretty solid defensively, relying on veteran forward Juwan Gary as an anchor. Brice Williams is a big wing who can score at multiple levels. He has been a constant force. What’s really helped offensively, though, is the play of Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian, who has made 20 of 45 3-point attempts this year and gives the Huskers that dangerous outside shooter they had a year ago. year to Keisei Tominaga. This Nebraska team will miss center Rienk Mast all season, as there is no way to make up for what he provided as an interior passer and creator. But the Huskers replaced his size, going 7-1 and 6-10 on the starting line with Washington transfer Braxton Meah and UCLA transfer Berke Buyuktuncel, although the 6-10 Buyuktuncel fell short in a win over North Florida on Sunday due to injury. If he’s not back, Nebraska will likely be smaller with Gary at #4.
Regardless of Nebraska’s lineup, MSU’s starting three-guard trio of Jeremy Fears Jr., Tre Holloman and Jaden Akins has provided ample juice upfront in the last two games, with Jaxon Kohler and Szymon Zapala at inside, it’s hard to imagine MSU changing its starting group. Additionally, MSU is currently playing 10 players for considerable minutes and reacting to performance in real time with lineup decisions. This will continue regardless of the opponent. But it’s a tougher beast than Minnesota, which will challenge MSU especially on the wing.
• Prediction: MSU has become a team whose effort, focus, free throws and rebounds you can trust. That’s a formula for a lot of wins this season. If MSU makes seven or more 3-pointers, I think the Spartans will win this game without breaking a sweat the last two minutes. But if their shooting woes return, Nebraska has the assets to make it a fistfight to the end.
• Do it: MSU 78, Nebraska 70
– Graham sofa
This article was originally published in the Lansing State Journal: MSU vs. Nebraska Basketball: Predictions, Preview, TV, Betting Line
