Michigan State basketball: 3 keys to victory in rematch at Minnesota

Michigan State basketball will be in Minneapolis on Tuesday night looking to improve to 15-8 on the year. Here are the keys to victory.

Michigan State basketball 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, 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.

However, here are my three keys for the game to prevent Minnesota from getting that marquee victory.

1. Get the ball out of Elijah Hawkins’ hands

Elijah Hawkins may sound like a new name to some of you Spartan fans, and that isn’t 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.

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’s offense, you need to stop Hawkins.

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’s best at passing. He’s averaging 8.8 points per game, so it’s not like he’s a bad scorer. But Michigan State could deny the wings and force him to have to search for his own shot, which isn’t his preference on offense. Even if he scores above his average, it’s OK as long as his assist number stays low.

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.

2. Shut down Cam Christie

Part of me wants Michigan State to shut Cam Christie down because he is the brother of former Spartan Max Christie. I just don’t want a former player’s brother being the reason Michigan State basketball loses. But there’s also some data behind why Michigan State needs to defend Christie well.

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’s nine fewer minutes than his season average, so MSU did not defend him well.

So if MSU wants to win this game, Christie is not someone who can get hot.

3. Take advantage of the bigs’ strengths

This key may be something more for the rest of the season, but I’d love to finally see a change in how Michigan State plays with its bigs. I think it’s 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.

Both Cooper and Sissoko are better in pick-and-roll scenarios as lob threats, so why not use them more there where they’re more reliable? I’d also love to see Xavier Booker get some minutes because he is someone who can stretch the defense and show Minnesota a completely different look.

This doesn’t mean that MSU should abandon Cooper and Sissoko in the post, becoming too one-dimensional is counterproductive. But it’s time to start utilizing the Spartan bigs to their strengths and not forcing them into a role that doesn’t make sense for them.