The Final Four Is Not On The Schedule - A Podcast Discussing Michigan State Basketball.

January 23, 2023: Rod and Eric introduced 2023 incoming freshman, Gehrig Normand, to the Spartan Nation in this interview. Normand is a 4* recruit, 6'6" shooting guard from the Dallas-Forth Worth, TX area who was the third commit for MSU this summer. Many describe his game as similar to former Spartan, Matt McQuaid, who was from the same area and had sneaky athleticism. McQuaid became a great defender and sharpshooter and was instrumental in MSU's run to the Final Four in 2019.

Gehrig tells us about his name, what his game is like, how he is recovering from his injury, and why he chose Michigan State.

You can listen to our summer episode about Normand's recruitment here.

Check out the video interview on our YouTube channel.

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January 22, 2023: In a game that MSU controlled for the first 10 minutes, it looked like they might come away with a big road win at Indiana in Assembly Hall. Unfortunately for the Spartans, the Hoosiers caught fire from behind the arc and at the free throw line and were too much. Before the game, there was a lot of discussion for how Michigan State would defend against Indiana's elite center, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Would MSU double or play him straight up.

Ultimately, the Spartans did both which both ended up a losing proposition as TJD still ended up with 31 points and Indiana shot 9-16 behind the line. On a bright note for MSU, Jaxon Kohler once again had a decent game offensively and on the boards and largely held his own on the defensive end. There was still no Malik Hall in the game but reports had him practicing lending some hope that he will see the court soon. Perhaps as soon as Iowa on Thursday night.

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January 21, 2023: Now that MSU is back on the the winning track they head down to Bloomington, IN to take on the Indiana Hoosiers who are riding high after two straight wins including an impressive beat down at Illinois. The Hoosiers have been an up and down team this year and have suffered injuries to two starters in Xavier Johnson and Race Thompson. Michigan State seemed to find its shooting stroke again in the last home game and will see if it travels against another veteran team.

Malik Hall's prognosis seems to lead every show now as we try to get a handle on whether and when he will play again. It seems to be safe to say that we will see him sooner than later although which game that will be is still up in the air. We certainly don't expect to see him on the court in this one but perhaps Thursday against Iowa.

This matchup again offers an interesting strategic question as to how to defend Indiana's most dynamic player, Trayce Jackson-Davis, in the paint. Do you double, dig down, or play him straight up. All set you up for other dangers which is why he is such a great weapon for the Hoosiers.

You can listen to our preseason show on Indiana here.

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January 19, 2023: Michigan State ended their 2 game losing streak with a decisive victory over Rutgers on a rainy night in East Lansing 70-57. On a night that might be viewed as a coming out party for Jaxon Kohler who finished with a double double and played the most minutes at the 5 spot, he contributed a lot to MSU's great defensive effort. Rutgers' phenom shooter, Cam Spencer, managed only 1-8 from the 3 point line and 3-14 overall to finish with 8 points. In contrast, MSU was fantastic behind the line burying 12 three pointers on only 22 attempts.

The one troubling spot for the Spartans was that they got annihilated on the offensive boards giving up 18 offensive rebounds to the Scarlet Knights who used them to stay close in the game until late. Unfortunately for Rutgers, they also had the ball stolen 9 times in the game especially late where MSU was able to pull away and seal the game. The Breslin Center remains one of only 3 arenas in the Big Ten where Rutgers has still never won.

Our Rutgers preseason episode can be listened to here.

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January 17, 2023: MSU enters into the game on Thursday against Rutgers on a two game losing streak after dropping close games at Champaign and by one point at home to first place Purdue. Rutgers, however, isn't the usual slouch team that they were in their early days in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights are ranked #14 in KenPom and have one of the best defenses in college basketball to challenge MSU.

Unfortunately, Malik Hall will again be a no-go for this game as he reaggravated his stress reaction in the left foot and will be sidelined for a few weeks. However, that is good news as it was originally believed that Hall might miss most, if not all, of the remainder of the season when we last had news after the Purdue game. So the Spartans are once again tasked with surviving without Hall. Fortunately (and unlike earlier this season), this time they will have Jaden Akins who helps them immensely on the both sides of the ball.

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The Rutgers Preseason Show can be found here.

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January 16, 2023: Zach Edey and the number one offense in America, the Purdue Boilermakers, came to the East Lansing and took on a Michigan State team down one of its veterans due to Malik Hall's injury in the Illinois game. Despite being down a man, MSU almost pulled out the win against a talented Purdue team and even outplayed the Boilers in a number of aspects of the game.

It's certainly a game that MSU had a chance to win with a one point lead and only ten seconds to play. Unfortunately, Loyer found Edey in the low blocks where he scored his 32nd points of the game in a short layup. Tyson Walker had a monster game for MSU shooting over 50% from the field and finished with 30 points. The Spartans also managed to outrebound a team that is tops in the country on the offensive glass limiting them to only 26.7% offensive rebounding rate well below their season average.

The Spartans will stay home and will face red hot Rutgers who is second in the Big Ten on Thursday.

Listen to the Purdue Preseason Show

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January 14, 2023: Michigan State's seven game win streak was snapped in Champaign on Friday night and the Spartans look to return to their winning ways against a top rated Purdue squad. Per usual, Purdue enters the game with a monster center, 7'4" Zach Edey who is a national player of the year candidate. Edey is a beast scoring in the paint, rebounding offensively, and more than competent on the free throw line.

Surprisingly, Purdue is not a lethal team from behind the arc but can you risk doubling Edey and giving the Purdue guards easy looks from outside? The tactical plan to defend this Boilermaker team is fascinating and how Izzo decides to play it is not entirely obvious.

Finally, the health of Malik Hall is somewhat in doubt as he did not play the final 7:45 in Champaign after rolling his ankle. Every indication is that he will play but we probably won't know for certain until game day.

You can access our preseason show of Purdue here.

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January 13, 2023: In a game that Michigan State led for the majority of the first and second half, Illinois proved to be too much at home in a 75-66 win. Illinois uncharacteristicly took care of the basketball and finished the game with only 5 turnovers. They also shot free throws well above their average at 83%. In contrast, MSU failed to hit a single 3 point shot going 0-7 despite surprisingly dominating Illinois on the glass 42-33 (with a 40% offensive rebounding rate.

The Spartans now fall to 4-2 in the Big Ten and one game behind the Boilermakers who roll into East Lansing in a few days. Perhaps one of the most important developments in the game was an injury sustained by Malik Hall with 7:45 left in the game where he injured his left foot. Early reports are that he sprained his ankle so it appears that he did not reinjure his stress reaction but whether he is ready to play against Purdue is unknown at this time.

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January 11, 2022: The Spartans will take their 7 game winning streak (four in Big Ten play) into Champaign to take on a hot Illinois team. Illinois has won their last two conference games dispatching Wisconsin at home and blasting Nebraska in Lincoln.

Illinois features a test for MSU as they have size all over the court which is giving teams fits both offensively inside the arc and on the defensive end. The two things Illinois doesn't do well is shoot the outside shot and hang onto the ball which Michigan State will have to try and exploit. Can MSU use some Illini turnovers and get easy buckets on the break? Can they neutralize Illinois' size on the boards and prevent second chances?

You can access our Illinois preview show here.

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January 10, 2023: In another Big Ten road test, MSU headed into Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers and try and extend its winning streak to 7 games. In what can only be described as a poised effort, the Spartans were perfect from the floor down the stretch hitting their last 8 field goals and all their free throws to win the game.

Wisconsin was down their leading scorer, Tyler Wahl, but got point production from their 7' center Steven Crowl and freshman point guard Connor Essegian to keep the game close. The largest lead of the game was 6 points and the teams battled back and forth behind largely good shooting. MSU had a problem with turnovers with 14 to Wisconsin's 5 but outrebounded the Badgers 33-18. A big key to the victory definitely came at the free throw line where the Spartans hit 16 of 17 to only 6 of 8 for Wisconsin.

Our preseason episode on Wisconsin can be found here.

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