The Big Ten Conference is absolutely loaded with talented teams this season, and two of those teams will meet up on Monday night. The Michigan State Spartans will host the Maryland Terrapins, with the winner taking over the top spot in the league. The Spartans are the number six ranked team in the country, and the Terrapins check in at number 19.
Michigan State has jumped out to a 7-0 record in Big Ten Conference play, and are 16-2 overall. The Spartans have won eleven straight games, and are clicking on all cylinders. Maryland comes to East Lansing riding a seven-game win streak, and are 16-3 overall. The Terrapins have lost just one Big Ten game to this point, and are 7-1 in conference play. Michigan State is an 8.5 point favorite over Maryland in this game.
Cassius Winston Carrying Spartans
Tom Izzo has himself a terrific point guard, and his name is Cassius Winston. Winston is coming off of a 29 point performance against Nebraska and is also one of the best passers in the country. The junior point guard is averaging 18.2 points and 7.3 assists per game this season and gives the Spartans a true leader on the floor. When Izzo has a point guard, you can almost bank on his teams reaching the Final Four.
Winston has been the main star for Sparty, but he has plenty of help from his buddies. Michigan State is averaging over 84 points per game this season, and they can score points in a hurry. Center Nick Ward is averaging 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and gives the Spartans some toughness down low. Shooting guard Joshua Langford is one of the best shooters in the country and is pouring in more than 15 points per game. The Spartans might be playing better than anyone else in the country.
Terrapins Are Extremely Balanced
Maryland was not supposed to be good this season, but they have a deep team of talented players. The Terrapins are outscoring teams by just 11 points per game this season, but they have proven to be able to win a close game. Maryland is able to score in a variety of ways, and they have already won three road games this season. Head coach Mark Turgeon is one of the better coaches in the country, and he has his team playing at a very high level.
Anthony Cowan Jr. and Bruno Fernando are the two main scorers for Maryland, and they give the Terrapins a deadly inside-outside combo. Junior guard Anthony Cowan leads the team with 17.9 points per game and is also dishing out 4.5 assists per game. Fernando, a sophomore forward, is scoring close to 15 points per game and keeps getting better with each game. Cowand and Fernando will need to have big games if the Terrapins are going to pull off the upset.
Spartans Win at Home
Maryland has been taking the Big Ten by storm so far this season, but their run will end on Monday night. Winning at the Breslin Center is a near impossible task, and the Terrapins don’t have the weapons to pull it off. The Spartans look like the class of the Big Ten, and they will roll to a win in this game. Take the Michigan State Spartans -8.5 over the Maryland Terrapins.
