Written by
The Sports Network
Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - The sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans
will try to remain in sole possession of the Big Ten Conference's top spot as
they head to Williams Arena for a league bout with the Minnesota Golden
Gophers.
This will be the second meeting this season and 109th encounter in history
between Michigan State and the Golden Gophers. The all-time series is tied up
54-54 after the Spartans' 68-52 victory on Jan. 25th of last month in the
initial matchup of the season. Michigan State shot 54.2 percent from the field
against Minnesota in the first contest, while the Golden Gophers managed to
make only 38.3 percent of their field goals.
Tom Izzo's squad picked up its fifth straight victory on Sunday as it downed
the Purdue Boilermakers 76-62 on the road to stay a game up on Ohio State and
Michigan in the league standings. Michigan State's triumph was helped by a
tremendous defensive effort, as Purdue was held to an ice-cold 33.8 percent
shooting from the floor. The win improved the Spartans' record to 22-5
overall. Michigan State was very impressive on the glass against Minnesota, as
it held a 44-32 edge in the rebounding battle in the contest. The Spartans
have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.6 ppg this season.
Draymond Green has been the driving force of the Spartans' success this
season. The senior forward averages a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.5
rebounds per contest. Green had 20 points, 10 boards, and seven assists as the
Spartans trounced Purdue on Sunday. Austin Thornton added 17 points versus the
Boilermakers, while Branden Dawson recorded a double-double of his own with 15
points and 11 rebounds. Keith Appling is typically the team's second leading
scorer, as he averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 3.8 assists per outing.
The Golden Gophers are on a three-game losing slide after their 64-53 loss to
the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday. In their loss to the Wildcats, the
Golden Gophers held a 41-20 advantage in the rebounding battle, but could not
keep up as Northwestern drained 10 three-pointers to gain an edge. Minnesota
is outscoring its opponents by an average of 4.2 ppg this season. The loss
dropped Tubby Smith's team to 17-10 overall and 5-9 in Big Ten play.
Rodney Williams leads the balanced attack for Minnesota with team highs of
11.0 points and 5.4 boards per game. Julian Welch contributes 10.5 ppg.
Williams was held to just nine points by the Wildcats, while Welch poured in a
team-high 21 points and handed out five assists. Joe Coleman netted 12 points
in the losing effort. Austin Hollins, Ralph Sampson III, and Andre Hollins
will need to improve their play to help the Golden Gophers turn it around.
The Sports Network