From left to right: senior guard Bryn Forbes, senior guard Denzel Valentine, junior forward Aerial Powers and junior guard Tori Jankoska.
Both the MSU men's and women's basketball teams are headed into Big Ten Tournament play with a great chance at winning the hardware. And though the boasting of top-25 rankings are a testament to each teams' overall chemistry, there's a pair of duos surely leading the way.
For the women, it's juniors Aerial Powers and Tori Jankoska and for the men, it's seniors Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes.
The similarities are quite stunning. Both Powers and Valentine will be remembered as two of the most versatile players to put on a Spartan jersey. While shooting the ball, Jankoska and Forbes have set a new standard of three-point shooting. Let's take a look at how similar these one-two punches are.
Points per game and three-point shooting
Powers (21.8) and Jankoska (15.3) score a combined 37.1 points per game. Valentine (19.3) and Forbes (15.2) score a combined 34.5 points per game.
Powers (196) and Jankoska (136) have made a combined 332 field goals this season, while Valentine (175) and Forbes (150) have made a combined 325.
Of Forbes 150 makes, 103 of those have been three-pointers. That is extraordinary, as 69 percent of his made shots are from beyond the arc. As for Jankoska, 56 of her 136 makes have been from beyond the arc.
Valentine has made 88 three-pointers this season, while Powers has made 37.
Assists, rebounds and minutes
Valentine (189) and Forbes (46) have dished out a combined 235 assists this season, while Powers (67) and Jankoska (108) have combined for 175 assists. Valentine is averaging a staggering 7.3 assists per game, while moving around this season from point guard and shooting guard.
Powers leads the field in rebounds, at 8.8 per game and 228 on the season. Valentine averages 7.6 rebounds per game and has grabbed a total of 198. Forbes (66) and Valentine have combine for 264 rebounds this season, while Jankoska (154) and Powers have combined for 382.
Jankoska averages the most minutes per game out of the four players, totaling 33 per game. Valentine follows at 32.5 per game, then comes Powers with an average of 31.7 and Forbes at 27.5.
Jankoska and Powers: 64.7 minutes averaged per game
Valentine and Forbes: 60 minutes averaged per game
Free throws, steals and blocks
As for free throws, Powers (165) and Jankoska (114) have shot a combined 279 this season, while Valentine (77) and Forbes (63) have combined for 140. The duos' percentage of made free throws is a bit more telling, though. Powers free-throw percentage is .842, Jankoska .886, Valentine .844 and Forbes .825.
Powers and Jankoska: .864 average percentage
Valentine and Forbes: .835 average percentage
Powers has tallied 48 steals and 16 blocks this season, while Jankoska has 46 steals and 11 blocks. Valentine has 27 steals to four blocks and Forbes has 11 steals to one block.
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