Gopher Basketball
| Game Info | |
| Opponent: | Michigan State Spartans |
| When: | 1:30 pm, February 11th, 2006 |
| Where: | Williams Arena ““ Minneapolis, MN |
| Television: | ESPNU/KSTC Ch. 45 |
The Gopher Men have now won two of their past three games, but they have another very tough task facing them when #11 Michigan State visits The Barn. The Spartans have a nice streak of their own going, having won six of their past seven. Can Minnesota climb its way out of the conference cellar this weekend?
The Spartans have some very familiar faces leading the way this season. Seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis lead the way at 19.5 and 18.2 points per game, respectively. And junior Shannon Brown is right there as well at 18.1 ppg. Yes, you read that correctly ““ Michigan State has three players averaging better than 18 points per game. They’re the only team in the country that can claim that right now, and I can’t say that I remember any team doing it before.
What Michigan State is lacking this year though is scoring depth. Sophomore Drew Neitzel is averaging 9 points per game, but everyone else in the roster is scoring less than 5. The Spartans have a lot of bodies they can throw out there, but if one or two of their big three is having an off night, they can struggle to put the ball in the basket.
Here are my Gopher Keys of the Game:
1. Get Back. Ager and Brown are amazing in transition, and Neitzel and others are good at getting them the ball. Minnesota needs to make sure it gets back on defense so the Spartans don’t get many free points. They also need to avoid careless turnovers in the backcourt for the same reason.
2. Frustrate Davis. Davis is a much more consistent player than he was early in his career, but he’s still been known to disappear at times this season. The Gophers need to try to lull and frustrate him into a quiet game by denying him good post position, not giving him any easy putbacks, and trying to get him to settle for jumpers. Making him work defensively (specificallySpencer Tollackson ) and possibly getting him into a little foul trouble is another good strategy.
3. Shoot to Make. The Gophers finally shot the ball well against Penn State ““ especially Adam Boone andDan Coleman . Shooting well, and specifically those two shooting well, will go a long way towards beating the Spartans.
The Gophers can beat the Spartans. They beat Indiana and should have beaten Iowa and Wisconsin. Michigan State might be a little better than those teams, but they’re definitely not invincible. This would be a huge victory to help build momentum for a strong second half of conference play, but I’m a little fearful of a letdown for whatever reason. My prediction: Michigan State 76 Minnesota 66.
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