No. 2/2 Michigan State Hosts Houston Baptist on Monday
12/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. -
Michigan State's men's basketball team returns back to the Breslin Center on Monday, Dec. 18, hosting Houston Baptist University (HBU). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.
The game will be shown live on the Big Ten Network, with Kevin Kugler handling the play-by-play and Jon Crispin serving as the color analyst. The Spartan Sports Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at SpartanSportsNetwork.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on Sirius 137, XM 380 or Internet 963.
Michigan State, ranked No. 2 in the country by the Associated Press and in the USA Today Coaches poll, enters the game with a 10-1 overall record following an 86-73 win over Oakland on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. It was the ninth-straight win for the Spartans.
Five players scored in double figures, with sophomore guard Cassius Winston scoring all of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Spartans. Sophomore guard Joshua Langford finished with 17 points and three assists, while sophomore forward Nick Ward registered his second double-double of the season with 15 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. Sophomore guard/forward Miles Bridges had 11 points and three rebounds, freshman forward Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks and redshirt junior Kenny Goins added four points, eight rebounds and a career-high seven assists off the bench.
MSU ranks No. 1 in the country in field goal percentage defense (33.3%), No. 2 in blocked shots per game (8.1) and No. 19 in scoring defense (62.4 ppg). MSU has allowed only three opponents all season to score more than 60 points. The game against HBU is the first of five-straight home games for the Spartans.
Michigan State has won nine-straight games by 19.7 points per game, led in large part by its defense and rebounding. During that stretch, MSU is allowing only 59.1 points per game. Opponents during the last nine games are only shooting 32.2 percent from the floor. Overall this season, the Spartans are limiting opponents to 33.3 percent shooting from the field. MSU ranks No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage defense and No. 19 in scoring defense (62.4 ppg) through Dec. 17. Michigan State has held five opponents to below 60 points this season. The Spartans have a +13.1 rebound advantage in the last nine games and have only been out-rebounded once this season. MSU ranked No. 4 in the country in rebound margin (+11.4 overall) and No. 2 in blocked shots per game (8.3) through Dec. 17.
Michigan State's sophomore class â€" Bridges, Langford, Winston and Ward â€" have helped to lead the way for the Spartans. Through 11 games, that quartet has accounted for 67.0 percent of the team's scoring (595 of 888 points), 43.6 percent of its rebounds (210 of 482) and 54.9 percent of the team's assists (113 of 206). Together they are averaging 54.1 points, 19.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. When all four scored in double figures in MSU's win over Oakland, it was the fourth time this season they had done so in the same game.
Houston Baptist, a member of the Southland Conference, enters the game with a 4-7 record following a 100-65 win over Barclay (Kan.). Senior center Josh Ibarra is one of four players scoring in double figures, leading the Huskies with 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Freshman forward David Caraher is second on the team with 15.2 points and .67 rebounds, while freshman guard Ian DuBose is third with 11.4 points and sophomore guard Jalon Gates is fourth on the team with 10.2 points. Caraher and DuBose are the two top-scoring freshmen in the Southland Conference. Houston Baptist is shooting 45.1 percent from the floor and scoring 83.5 points per game, while allowing 82.4 points. HBU is among the leaders in the country in rebounding. The Huskies rank No. 14 in the country in rebounds per game (42.1) and No. 3 in offensive rebounds per game (15.8).
