Spartan guard Trey Holloman leaps to the rim across Minnesota's Braeden Carrington at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. Carrington recorded seven points in the 66-76 loss to MSU.
After eight games, including a third-place finish at the Maui Invitational last week, Michigan State men’s basketball (6-2) opens its conference schedule in a road game against Minnesota (6-3) on Wednesday night.
MSU defeated the Gophers 77-67 in the Big Ten Tournament last March, but the Spartans have lost two of their last three road games at Williams Arena, better known as "The Barn."
Wednesday will mark the first of two conference games in the next three weeks for the Spartans, who play Nebraska this Saturday at Breslin Center.
Scouting Minnesota
The Gophers are led by senior forward Dawson Garcia, who has averaged a team-high 19.1 points per game and seven rebounds while shooting just under 50% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.
Garcia averaged 33.5 minutes per game and will likely see a similar figure against MSU as a main three-point shooter on a team that can play almost two rotations with forwards.
Senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr. is coming off an ankle injury and has only played two games this season. Last season, the quick-footed guard averaged over 10 points per game in just under 30 minutes of play.
This season, Mitchell Jr. and senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson have combined for 10 assists per game, two-thirds of Minnesota’s average. It’s still unclear whether or not Mitchell Jr. will play Wednesday.
Last week, Minnesota competed in the ESPN Events Invitational, losing 68-66 to Wichita State in overtime and 57-51 to Wake Forest. Days later, the Gophers beat Central Michigan 68-65 and Bethune-Cookman 79-62.
Minnesota has averaged 64.4 points per game, the worst in the Big Ten, while shooting 29% from three, the second-worst in the Big Ten as MSU claims the lowest spot.
Though Minnesota can play big — eight players are 6-foot-8 or taller — it's struggled to rebound, unlike MSU.
Scouting MSU
After missing the last game of the Maui Invitational due to a head injury, freshman guard Jase Richardson is good to go for Wednesday, head coach Tom Izzo said after practice on Monday.
Richardson has more often than not been "Mr. Reliable" for MSU. Though coming off of the bench, the Denver native has averaged 10.4 points per game and often been MSU's main playmaker in momentum-shifting games, able to comfortably weave in and out of defenders and create shots for his teammates.
Through eight games, the Spartans have seen vastly different teams and play styles, Izzo and junior guard Tre Holloman said after Monday’s practice. Holloman said, so far, playing against zones and full-court presses and traps has helped MSU improve its playmaking.
Holloman, a Minneapolis native, is coming off a career-high 19 points against UNC, a game in which six Spartans scored in double-digits. He’s averaged 7.6 points per game and 3.5 assists per game, only recently finding the shooting stroke that made him so valuable in the back half of last season.
"Whatever our team needs for that game, that's what I try to bring," Holloman said.
MSU has averaged 81 points per game on 47% shooting through eight games. Izzo said he wants his team to put up around 65 shots per game. Making open shots will likely play key for the Spartans in a tough environment to open conference play.
"We’re not a finished product," Izzo said. "We’re still a work in progress by a long shot."
MSU and Minnesota will tip off on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in Minneapolis at 8:30 p.m. Big Ten Network will air the game.
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