 |
| MSU's Kalin Lucas missed last year's visit to Chambana with an ankle injury. I'm sure he wants a crack at the Illini. |
MSU @ Illinois - 7pm on ESPN
Gotta love Big Ten Basketball. Illinois was a trendy pick to win the conference this year and they are still very much in the race, despite dropping their last two games to Wisconsin and Penn State. Yes, that same PSU team that beat the Spartans 10 days ago. The biggest key to this game? Individual matchups. I'll break down each position.
PG - Demetri McCamey vs. Lucas/Lucious/Appling/Kebler
McCamey is a hell of a player. He's averaging 16 points a game, can score from anywhere on the floor, and also takes care of the ball extremely well. On top of that, he's a 4-year starter so he's seen it all. Solution? Try everything. Expect a lot of substitutions from Izzo to keep MSU's guards fresh on defense. Freshman Keith Appling has been stepping up in a big way on the defensive end recently but this will undoubtedly be his biggest test so far. Lucas and Lucious will both get a shot, however they both give up a couple inches and a lot of weight to McCamey. McCamey is a solid defender, as well, so this will be the position to watch for the night.
SG - DJ Richardson vs. Lucas/Lucious/Summers
Richardson is a young talent but he's been less than impressive in Big Ten play. He scored 17 against Iowa a few weeks ago...but c'mon, it's Iowa. He's mainly a perimeter threat that doesn't drive very often. It sounds odd, but guarding him will be a welcome break from McCamey for the guards
SF - Bill Cole vs. Summers/Green/Thornton
Cole is pretty big for the 3 spot (6'9") but he just hasn't been productive. Cole is averaging 6 points and 2 rebounds per game. The threat comes from his ability to shoot the 3 - he's shooting 43% from behind the arc, which is close to what Summers, Green, Lucas, and Appling shoot from 3. Green (6'7") has had trouble scoring on the inside against taller players, but Cole is pretty light for his size and could probably be outmuscled by the more robust Draymond.
PF - Mike Davis vs. Roe/Green
Davis is another bright talent for the Illini. Definitely not a 3-point threat, but he has developed a solid inside game with great footwork and fundamentals. Delvon Roe matches up with him quite well and has been absolutely dominant on the defensive side of the ball the last few games. Roe has been pretty quiet on the offensive side, however, but him wearing down Davis on the other end might make it easier for him. Unless Roe is needed elsewhere...
C - Mike Tisdale vs. Roe/Nix/Sherman/Payne
Tisdale is a 7'1", 250 lb center that has also developed a good post game, similar to Davis. His length has been a huge problem for the Spartans in the past and it doesn't get any easier this year. Sherman and Payne have the length to guard him, but both are not nearly as strong or have the experience as the 4th year giant. Nix could definitely throw his weight around just fine, but he has been in the doghouse with Izzo lately and doesn't have the footwork on the offensive end to be effective. This situation will probably look more like damage control than an attempt to stop him, so don't tear your hair out if Tisdale scores 15 tonight.
SUMMARY
Illinois is big. Bigger than the Spartans. It's going to be tough for the frontcourt of MSU to score points against the Illinois big men so the best way to get out of Chambana with a W is to limit Illinois on the offensive end. Expect a lot of switching up from Izzo to give different looks on D - if MSU can limit two of Illinois' three big threats (Tisdale, Davis, and McCamey) the game will go pretty smooth. Go Green!
No comments:
Post a Comment