College Basketball Game of the Week: Michigan at Michigan State

Michigan at Michigan State

This week's game of the week features Michigan State who holds the the #1 KenPom ranked defense hosting Michigan who comes in ranked 2nd. Both teams have had excellent starts to the season with a combined record of 38-3. Each of these teams hopes to win the Big Ten and earn a top 2 seed in the NCAA tournament based on current projections. Michigan has already defeated multiple March Madness headed teams including Gonzaga by 40 points, Auburn by 30 and their most recent home win against an undefeated 20-0 Nebraska. Michigan State has wins against Arkansas, North Carolina and a 21 point win versus Indiana. One team that did defeat Michigan State team that Michigan was able to get past was Nebraska. Nebraska was able to hold Michigan State to 56 points in a two point win. The big difference between Michigan and Michigan State is their KenPom ranked offense where Michigan currently ranks 8th while Michigan State comes in at 42nd and well out of the top 25 in this key statistic. The Wolverines have been able to hold onto a top 10 spot offensively throughout the season while the Spartans have yet to approach an elite level of offensive efficiency. This could be a big difference maker in this game and as the season continues into March.

Both teams come into this game 9-1 in conference play with the winner likely to take over the number 1 spot atop the Big Ten. It's difficult to compare two elite defenses so we must look at which team looks to have an offensive advantage in a game like this. Michigan currently scores 90.9 ppg which ranks 11th in the nation while Michigan State averages 79.5 coming in at the 133rd rank. In terms of team field goal percentage, the Wolverines still hold a huge advantage shooting 51.5% which ranks 7th in the country. The Spartans come in at 47.9%, one of the biggest offensive differences between these two teams. This one has the potential to be the game of the year just given the high level of these two teams and defenses especially.