The Spartans started with one of the toughest schedules in recent memory by playing UNC in San Diego then traveling to NYC to play Duke. State played well at times in both games, but fell short. Since then they have won 10 in a row against a pretty easy schedule. They should be 11-2 starting B1G play.
Michigan St. is led by senior forward Draymod Green (from Saginaw), he is scoring 15 ppg so far. He is a do everyting type player, and is clearly the Spartans leader on the court. Draymond also averages 10 rebounds a game so far, and he leads the team in assists. Valporaiso transfer Brandon Wood scores 11 ppg as their second leading scorer. From what I have seen from Wood, he likes to shoot the jump shot, and it isnt falling he will take himself out of the game. State also has two very talented young players: point guard Keith Appling (scored 49 points in the 2009 state championship game) and freshman forward Branden Dawson. Offensively, they are led by coach Tom Izzo who calls a play every possession. One reason why they are so tough to beat come tournament time. They will run a lot of motion offense, with some high screens. Currently, their offense goes through Draymond Green. State has been known to have some great post players, but recently this has not been the case. They are more perimeter oriented. When they are executing their plays well, State is very tough to slow down. Last year their offensive production was hampered by terrible shot selection. One of State biggest weaknesses though is their bench. MSU has very little depth and will need their starters to handle most of the scoring.
Defensively, State mostly just runs a pressure man to man defense. This has been Tom Izzo's greatest strength as a coach, his ability to teach and coach defense is second to none. They rotate extremely well, and are seldom out of position for rebounds. Appling is the teams best defender, and will be asked to cover either the point guard or shooting guard whichever player is better. Adreian Payne is a very good shot blocker down low, but can get into foul problems since he is still learning how to play defense and not just block shots. It will be very tough for most teams to get their inside game working well against State.
How they matchup vs Michigan: This is one of those games that I cannot wait for. Trey Burke vs Keith Appling will be a great battle for the next few years. Both are not the biggest guards, but are extremely athletic and good shooters. Burke is not on the same defensive level as Appling yet. It will be telling towards the outcome just by looking at Burke's statline. If he can limit his turnovers against a great defender, and still find a way to get his standard 10-15 points, Michigan should win. I think that is a tall task to ask a freshman, especially playing on the road at the Breslin Center. I think Michigan will split with State this year. (Winning on the road at MSU again will be a good indicator if Michigan is going to compete for the B1G title.)
I think Michigan St is improving well, and will be a very tough game for all B1G teams. I think MSU can finish with 10+ conference wins this year and be in the top 3 of the final standings.
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