Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Maryland

Michigan State basketball heads to Maryland with .500 in conference play in mind. Will the Spartans pull off the road win?

Michigan State basketball tips off at Maryland at noon on Sunday in an extremely crucial game for their season. Before the game begins, let’s make some bold predictions once again and see if we hit on any this game.

1. MSU wins by 10+

This may not seem like a bold prediction at first glance, but a few things make it seem unlikely to happen. For starters, MSU is only a 1.5-point favorite in this matchup. I know Vegas isn’t always right, but they do tend to be.

Also, there’s the fact that Michigan State hasn’t won a game outside the state of Michigan all season. They’ve had many chances to do so, even against teams they probably should have beaten, but have still failed each time.

At the end of the day, all I care about is winning this game. It doesn’t matter if it’s by one point or by 30.  But I predict Michigan State will beat Maryland by at least 10 points on Sunday.

2. Tre Holloman gets 7 assists

Tre Holloman has been one of the most steady players for Michigan State this season. So much so that he leads the nation in assist-turnover margin. Even with that being the case, seven assists is still a lot for him, mainly because he comes off the bench.

Now Holloman is more than capable of hitting this total in any game. He, however, has only done it once when he finished with 10 assists against Georgia Southern. He has been close to seven assists many other times this year, finishing with six assists in three games. But I think this is the game that Holloman gets over that hump and finishes with at least seven assists.

3. Maryland shoots under 15 percent from three

Any team shooting less than 15 percent just seems like a shot in the dark. Is it possible on any given night? Absolutely. Is it ever likely? Not really. But there is some strong data to go along with this prediction.

First of all, Maryland is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country. They are only 27.9% from beyond the arc this season which is No. 338 out of 351 teams. On the other hand, MSU is very good at defending the three. The Spartans are No. 52 in the country holding their opponents to 30.5% from behind the arc.

Put all of that together, and I predict Maryland to go under 15 percent from 3-point land in this game.