ESFN: Game of the Week

I’m going to bring something new to the ESFN blog and add a game of the week each week (obviously), that I believe could be a surprising match up. Hopefully I start with a bang (fingers crossed).

Bare with me on this but my inaugural game of the week is Michigan State vs. * #1 team Ohio State. Now I know what your saying, with all that is going wrong with Michigan State this year, the game will be a blow out. But never, ever count out a Tom Izzo team, his passion will not let him give up on his team.

Not only that, he still has a team filled with lots of talent to win with, there is no reason they should be losing this many games. With seven upper classman returning, including last year’s top scorer Kalin Lucas (14.8 PPG this year), and two of the other four top scorers (Durrell Summers 11.3, and Draymond Green 9.9). There is no way they can’t be successful right? Wrong! To be successful they will need better play from all of their role players. But I believe there is still hope and this is just the game that can spark them to a streak that guides them right to the NCAA tournament (which they are on the bubble for anyway)

Now on to the buckeyes, coming off their first loss of the season, it will be interesting to see how a senior dominated squad responds to a loss. I am very interested to see how Aaron Craft (freshman) will play, after under performing when the game was on the line. I am certain this was a shot to his confidence, so his performance is very important to the team’s success. This is the beginning of a tough stretch that will really test the team chemistry, with a very tough Purdue team, on the road in hostile Mackey Arena.

Knowing Thad Matta he will not let his team falter after one loss, but Izzo is the same way, making this matchup an even better one. The matchups (player vs. player) that I’m really looking forward to seeing is how Derrick Nix will defend the young and talented Jared Sullinger. Nix a sophomore is a wide body in the pain (6’9’’, 270 lbs) should have no problem matching up with Sullinger in size, but the separation in talent may be the deciding factor. This is when freshman Keith Appling and Junior Delvon Roe will fill in, if Nix gets into foul trouble.

The second matchup I’m looking forward to is a battle of seasoned veterans taking one another on. Kalin Lucas vs. David Lighty is what I’m talking about, it will be tough for each to get baskets, but they will score. The first one to become frustrated with their lack of scoring will be the one’s who team will lose the game. This will prove how important these two players are to their team’s success.

In a final word, my prediction, it will be a good game, and my confidence in a Mike Izzo coached team is being tested a lot this year, and I will continue to be disappointed. In a home game, Ohio State will win; quite handedly 75-68 is my prediction. The offense of Ohio State will be too much for Sparty to handle in the end, especially when they will find it hard to answer and trade baskets, let alone separate themselves from the Buckeyes.