BASKETBALL

Michigan State Basketball: Starting defensive matchups vs. Northwestern

Who’s checking who?

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

Kyle Waters

What are the starting defensive matchups looking like for Michigan State basketball in Evanston on Sunday night?

Michigan State basketball plays at Northwestern tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Spartans have struggled lately against Northwestern going 1-3 in their last four against Northwestern.

Let’s take a look at my expected defensive matchups versus Northwestern.

Boo Buie (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) — AJ Hoggard or Jaden Akins

The best defensive matchup for him would be either AJ Hoggard or Jaden Akins. Boo Buie does most things for Northwestern as he averages 18.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. Hoggard is best when he is guarding the ball handler which will be in Buie’s hands a lot. But I could see Akins drawing this matchup as he is locked in when he draws the No. 1 offensive assignment for Michigan State. I would expect to see Tre Holloman and could even see Tyson Walker at times on Boo if necessary.

Ty Berry (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) — Tyson Walker

My assumption for the defensive matchup for Tyson Walker. Ty Berry is the least of the scoring guards for Northwestern which would allow Tyson to conserve some energy for the offensive end. Berry is their best 3-point shooter at 42 percent while he averages 11.0 points and only 1.2 assists per game. Berry is clearly their third option as the starting guards but is the best defender for the Northwestern team.

Ryan Langborg (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) — AJ Hoggard or Jaden Akins

Langborg will either get the other guard between Hoggard or Akins. He is the third-leading scorer on this team averaging 12.2 points per game. He is a grad transfer from Princeton with this being his only season with Northwestern. He is there second primariy ball handler for the guard position. The defensive matchup will need to be concerned with his ability to shoot the three as he is attempting 5.5 threes per game and shooting 41 percent from deep.

Brooks Barnhizer (6-foot-6, 215 pounds) — Malik Hall

Brooks Barnhizer defensive matchup will be Malik Hall. Barnhizer can cause problems for a lot of Big Ten teams as he is able to stretch the floor and handle the ball like a guard. This shouldn’t be an issue for Malik Hall as he should be able to match the foot speed of Barnhizer. He is the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer on the team averaging 13 per game and also leads the team in minutes with 35.7. He is also the leading rebounder, averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. This could also be a matchup for Coen Carr when Malik Hall is on the bench.

Matthew Nicholson (7-foot-0, 280 pounds) — Mady Sissoko

Mady Sissoko will draw the defensive matchup with Matthew Nicholson. He is not a major threat to be a large offensive option for the Wildcats in the 2023-24 season. Nicholson averages 4.6 points and only 3.5 rebounds in almost 20 minutes per game. Sissoko will need to keep him off the offensive glass as he averages 1.5 rebounds on the glass. Carson Cooper will also see this matchup as well as the matchup on Blake Preston the backup Center who averages 12.7 minutes per game.

I believe this team fits in very well stylistically and size wise to the way Michigan State wants to defend and play. The only matchup issue that Michigan State could have is if Northwestern plays small ball with Nick Martelli at the five. Above would be the way that I would matchup against a Northwestern team that is coming off a beatdown by Illinois on Tuesday night.