Michigan State basketball<\/a> has its second rematch in as many games as the Spartans head to Minnesota to take on the Gophers. The Spartans won the first meeting 76-66<\/a>, but Minnesota has revenge on their mind. The Gophers also still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, so they are desperate for a marquee win.<\/p>\n However, here are my three keys for the game to prevent Minnesota from getting that marquee victory.<\/p>\n Elijah Hawkins may sound like a new name to some of you Spartan fans, and that isn\u2019t your fault. He did not play in the first meeting between the Spartans and the Gophers, and thankfully so. Hawkins is arguably their best player and the one that gets the Minnesota offense humming.<\/p>\n Elijah leads the nation in assists per game, currently at 7.8. He also has five games hitting double-digit assists including a season-high 17 earlier this season. It goes without saying, to stop Minnesota\u2019s offense, you need to stop Hawkins.<\/p>\n There are two ways Michigan State can do this. The first is by making him a score-first guard. Hawkins is a capable scorer, but he\u2019s best at passing. He\u2019s averaging 8.8 points per game, so it\u2019s not like he\u2019s a bad scorer. But Michigan State could deny the wings and force him to have to search for his own shot, which isn\u2019t his preference on offense. Even if he scores above his average, it\u2019s OK as long as his assist number stays low.<\/p>\n Another option for MSU is to deny Hawkins the ball. When he gives the ball up, completely take him out of the game and let someone else on Minnesota beat you. The Gophers’ offense runs through Hawkins, so if MSU completely denies him the ball, that could cause their offense to struggle.<\/p>\n Part of me wants Michigan State to shut Cam Christie down because he is the brother of former Spartan Max Christie. I just don\u2019t want a former player\u2019s brother being the reason Michigan State basketball loses. But there\u2019s also some data behind why Michigan State needs to defend Christie well.<\/p>\n In games in which he scores in double figures, the Gophers are 9-2. In the first matchup between these teams, Christie finished with eight points, but he only played 16 minutes due to foul trouble. That\u2019s nine fewer minutes than his season average, so MSU did not defend him well.<\/p>\n So if MSU wants to win this game, Christie is not someone who can get hot.<\/p>\n This key may be something more for the rest of the season, but I\u2019d love to finally see a change in how Michigan State plays with its bigs. I think it\u2019s obvious that Michigan State’s bigs have different strengths. Jaxon Kohler is strong in the post and should be fed the ball on the block. However, Carson Cooper and Mady Sissoko do not thrive in the post, so they need to be more involved elsewhere.<\/p>\n1. Get the ball out of Elijah Hawkins’ hands<\/h3>\n
2. Shut down Cam Christie<\/h3>\n
3. Take advantage of the bigs’ strengths<\/h3>\n