Column: Scouting the Spartans

WHO No. 5 Michigan State (24-5, 13-3)
WHAT A Stripeout. Check iuhoosiers.com to see if you’re wearing red or white.
WHEN 7 p.m. today
WHERE Assembly Hall
HOW ESPN (Dave O’Brien, Dan Dakich, Jay Bilas), IU Radio Network, live audio on iuhoosiers.com

Scouting Michigan State
Head coach Tom Izzo, 17th season
Leading scorer Senior forward Draymond Green, 15.6 ppg
Leading rebounder Senior forward Draymond Green, 10.3 rpg
Best win At Ohio State, 58-48
Worst loss At Northwestern, 81-74
What they do well Rebound. The Spartans are averaging the 19th-most rebounds per game with 39.1. Their 55.8 rebound percentage is fifth-best in the country.
What needs work This may not constitute, technically, “needing work,” but Michigan State shies away from the 3-pointer. The Spartans have made the second-least amount of 3-pointers in the Big Ten and have the seventh-best 3-point percentage at 35.2.

Projected starters

Indiana
G Jordan Hulls 11.2 ppg
G Victor Oladipo 11.2
F Will Sheehey 8.5
F Christian Watford 11.6
F Cody Zeller 15.4

Michigan State
G Austin Thornton 5.1 ppg
G Keith Appling 11.7
G Branden Dawson 8.7
F Draymond Green 15.6
F Adreian Payne 6.8

My take
With the season winding down, Michigan State has emerged as the most consistent, if not the best, team in the Big Ten and is now guaranteed at least a share of the regular season conference title.

MSU Coach Tom Izzo’s squad is getting hot at the right time, riding a seven-game winning streak into Bloomington.

You might remember Michigan State handing the Hoosiers their first loss of the season Dec. 28. In the 80-65 defeat, the Spartans kept IU freshman forward Cody Zeller at four points and three rebounds for his first underwhelming performance of the season.

For Michigan State, sophomore guard Keith Appling shot 7-of-12 from the field for 25 points and recorded a game-high seven assists.

While Appling led the Spartans in the first meeting between these two teams, senior forward Draymond Green has been the rock for Izzo’s team all season. Green, who I think is a lock for All-Big Ten honors at the season’s end, averaged 18 points a game in his last seven contests. He has recorded a double-double in five of the last seven games.

Yes, this 6-foot-7-inch, 230-pound senior is scary good.

To me, this prediction rests upon a balance of what you think is more important: the fact that IU is playing in Assembly Hall, where it is 16-1 this season, or Michigan State’s superior talent. Within the Spartans’ latest win streak, they have beaten the top three teams in the conference.

This team is just too good to let the environment of Assembly Hall override its talent. I see Michigan State winning this game by seven points or fewer.