3* michigan state (-1.5) over michigan
on first glance, this looks like the perfect spot for michigan to finally exact some revenge on their rival because for the L5 years, this hasnt even been a rivalry. wolverines are scorching right now, and msu has had some bumps in the road the last month.
but this is a great spot to play izzo's guys imo. michigan has been riding this long win streak, but theyve needed 2h rallies in a handful of them. the wisconsin game at home (coming back from DD with less than 5 left). the ohio state game on the road (down 7 in the 2h). the northwestern game on the road (down 10 in the 2h). its good to see michigan show heart and not quit, but you simply cannot expect to be able to come back like that if you get down early to michigan state, but thats when izzo and the spartans are at their best. the defense can be suffocating and michigan isnt anywhere near as physical as the spartans.
also- michigan has been riding their freshman standout horton for this entire winning streak. hes become their go-to guy. theres no doubt msu's defensive schemes will be focused on completely suffocating horton and making someone else beat them- and other than blanchard- i dont think michigan has ANYONE that can do damage. i expect horton to be a non-factor honestly. izzo will not get torched by a freshman guard.
and if theres such a thing as a "statement tune-up game", msu just made it a few days ago vs penn state. even though psu was overmatched- the spartans still looked like they had something to prove, holding penn state to a ridiculous 23% from the field (11 of 47) and just 36 total points in a 70-36 win.
normally dont like to get too verbose with these write-ups. because im not a technical capper. in the end, it all comes down to who can defend and who can execute their stuff. basically, i just think msu is still far too physical and just much better fundamentally than their in-state rival. wolverines are riding a great streak- but theyre NOT dominating teams or even outplaying teams for that matter. msu should get this one.
on first glance, this looks like the perfect spot for michigan to finally exact some revenge on their rival because for the L5 years, this hasnt even been a rivalry. wolverines are scorching right now, and msu has had some bumps in the road the last month.
but this is a great spot to play izzo's guys imo. michigan has been riding this long win streak, but theyve needed 2h rallies in a handful of them. the wisconsin game at home (coming back from DD with less than 5 left). the ohio state game on the road (down 7 in the 2h). the northwestern game on the road (down 10 in the 2h). its good to see michigan show heart and not quit, but you simply cannot expect to be able to come back like that if you get down early to michigan state, but thats when izzo and the spartans are at their best. the defense can be suffocating and michigan isnt anywhere near as physical as the spartans.
also- michigan has been riding their freshman standout horton for this entire winning streak. hes become their go-to guy. theres no doubt msu's defensive schemes will be focused on completely suffocating horton and making someone else beat them- and other than blanchard- i dont think michigan has ANYONE that can do damage. i expect horton to be a non-factor honestly. izzo will not get torched by a freshman guard.
and if theres such a thing as a "statement tune-up game", msu just made it a few days ago vs penn state. even though psu was overmatched- the spartans still looked like they had something to prove, holding penn state to a ridiculous 23% from the field (11 of 47) and just 36 total points in a 70-36 win.
normally dont like to get too verbose with these write-ups. because im not a technical capper. in the end, it all comes down to who can defend and who can execute their stuff. basically, i just think msu is still far too physical and just much better fundamentally than their in-state rival. wolverines are riding a great streak- but theyre NOT dominating teams or even outplaying teams for that matter. msu should get this one.
