Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions for Izzone Alumni game vs. Washington

It’s that time of year again, folks. It’s the Izzone Alumni game. Michigan State basketball will take on a Washington team still looking to make a statement in Big Ten play and it nearly did just that last time out against Illinois.

In fact, the Huskies took the Illini down to the wire after trailing for most of the game and fell just short, 81-77. So that just goes to show that this won’t be a walk in the park for the Spartans. Illinois has arguably been the best team in the Big Ten this season and the Huskies nearly pulled off the upset.

Michigan State just needs to remain focused and it should be just fine.

Let’s dive into some bold predictions for the big matchup in East Lansing.

1. Coen Carr puts on a show

For the past few games, Coen Carr has been lighting it up. The sophomore forward from Georgia has really seemed to hit his stride and his confidence is ballooning. He’s averaging about 12.3 points per game over the last three and he’s shooting well over 50 percent from the floor and has made both of his 3-point attempts. He’s been on fire.

And that continues on Thursday.

Carr is not only going to flash some incredible athleticism with angry dunks yet again, but he’s also going to play some elite defense and grab 10 rebounds — a career-high. The sophomore forward will finish with his first double-double as a Spartan, scoring 17 with 10 boards. Oh, and he’ll make another three.

2. Frankie Fidler finally wakes up

It’s been a sleepy season for Omaha transfer Frankie Fidler and I think we see that change a bit on Thursday night. The transfer forward from Bellevue, Neb., has been falling way short of expectations so far, averaging 8.6 points per game and shooting 16 percent from deep when he was averaging 20.1 and shooting 36 percent from deep last year. He will finally have a big game.

I don’t think it’ll be a 20-point performance or anything like that, but Fidler will show signs of life, breaking the 10-point plateau for just the second time in seven games and he’ll make two threes for the first time this year. Fidler finishes with 13 points and six boards.

3. Michigan State covers by 10-plus

There’s been a growing trend in the annual Izzone Alumni games that has to be taken under consideration. Michigan State basketball has won by an average of 23.4 points over the past five Izzone Alumni games and the Spartans have covered the spread by over 10 points, on average, in those contests.

That continues on Thursday night.

The spread is Michigan State by 13.5 points and I see the Spartans winning somewhere in the 20-25-point range. So to keep this bold, I’ll say Michigan State covers the spread by 10 and wins by 24.