Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Maryland, Part 2

Michigan State basketball hosts Maryland on Saturday evening. Let’s dive into some bold predictions for the rematch.

Michigan State basketball begins the second half of their Big Ten season by welcoming Maryland to town Saturday evening. The Spartans have already beaten the Terps once, but it wasn’t the prettiest game I’ve seen MSU play.

Let’s hope some of these bold predictions come true so MSU can get another win but in style this time.

1. MSU scores 75+ points

Surely scoring 75 points isn’t a “bold” prediction right? In this game, I think it is. Maryland has the No. 1 scoring defense in the Big Ten, only giving up 63.4 points per game. This is also good enough to be No. 11 in the country. Maryland also doesn’t play at a very fast pace either, which makes it difficult to score a lot as well.

Another thing going against this prediction is that Michigan State only scored 61 points the first time they played. Sure the Spartans scored 44 in the first half, but only 17 in the second half is what makes me a little nervous.

All in all, it probably wouldn’t be the craziest thing in the world for Michigan State to score 75 in this game, but considering the opponent, it would be impressive.

2. Coen Carr scores in double figures

I think Coen Carr is finally due for a big offensive showing. He has scored in double figures twice this season, with a career-high 14 in the opener against James Madison. However, he hasn’t been able to get much going recently, failing to score more than five points in nine straight games.

Playing time is sometimes an issue for Carr and could hinder him getting there, but I think he’ll take advantage of his minutes in this game. I’m predicting three dunks in this game by Carr, with one that will absolutely blow the roof off the Breslin Center, two free throws, and a mid-range jumper to finish with 10.

3. Malik Hall finishes with a double-double

So far this season, Malik Hall has only finished with a double-double in one game. That came against Minnesota when he also joined the 1,000-point scoring club. I don’t have any doubts that he’ll hit double figures scoring in this game since he’s done that in six straight games, but 10 rebounds could be a problem.

This season he is only averaging 4.9 rebounds per game. Now don’t get me wrong, that isn’t a bad number, but it’s nowhere near the 10 that we’re looking for. But Tom Izzo has been stressing rebounding to his team for quite some time now, and I think Hall will be the one to lead the way in this game.

I think I’m due for a good performance in my predictions. I haven’t gone 3-for-3 yet this season, but something tells me these three could all happen. If they do all come true, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about Michigan State basketball winning this game.