Mike Boynton Jr. previews Michigan State

Yeah, I mean, this game from us, from an aesthetic standpoint, will probably look more like the second half than the first. Just a guess. But both teams do have the ability to score. I mean, both teams they've had high-scoring games.

Um, but I just think the physicality, um, of both teams defensively will probably stand out more. Um, and so I think just in for a good old-fashioned hard-nosed physical battle. Um, and obviously the team that probably fouls the least gives the other chance— the other team the least amount of chances to get easy points at the free-throw line or in transition.

Will put themselves in a better position. But, you know, they run as well as any team in the country. They rebound as well as any team in the country on both ends of the floor. I think they're 8th in terms of, like, offensive rebounding overall, and they're 20th in the country in rebounding even on free throws that they miss.

So it's a major emphasis on us to be able to take care of those things within the game, not just necessarily the flow. Nebraska played more of an open style, just totally different from schematic defensive approach. This game will be, you know, they have to keep Fears out of the lane. Cole is shooting them really, really well.

I mean, he's— I've seen some guys improve, and I wouldn't say he was a non-shooter before, but he— that's a real weapon for them now is his 3-point shooting. I think he made 6 in that game against Nebraska, which obviously I watched to scout Nebraska first. And so it's become something I think go-to. Cooper made a 3.

I think Coen Carr, 7 for his last 11 from 3. In the last 4 games. So those guys are improving as players also. So there's an opportunity for the game from an aesthetically pleasing way to look more fluid, but I doubt it. Trey.

I think it's— I think our guys have grown. I think there's a couple things that have happened with our team. Um, there was, there was always kind of a, how's this going to look like when it comes together, right? We got a bunch of new guys, 4 new guys starting.

Roddy Gayle, Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter taking different roles as seniors. Unique. Um, and then we didn't go to the best start, and then we played basketball well enough that people were saying we could be the Charlotte Hornets or Washington Wizards. Neither one was true.

Like we weren't the, we weren't bad. We didn't play great, we didn't gel, and, and neither did we become a team that's good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the NBA, right? We're somewhere in between. And now we're kind of finding that middle ground where we're gonna be in tough games.

This league is really good. There are really good coaches, there are really good players, and they're familiar with how we play now. And so each game, you have to take it as its own entity. And then within the game, as a coach, our job is to make the adjustments necessary to put our guys in position to have success.

You know, the theory that we're going to win these games by 20 points, I think, is kind of silly. I've been around college basketball a long time. Once you get in a conference play like this, it doesn't really matter where the teams stand. And particularly when you're ranked as high as we are, you're going to get the other team's best shot most nights.

Even if you play well. I mean, and I want to give Wisconsin credit here. I haven't talked about them to you guys. Like, their scheme was good.

You still also have to make all the shots, and they made all of them. You know, the guy makes an offensive rebound tip-out shot in the corner, like, falling out of bounds. I mean, and at that point, even as a defensive coach, you're like, man, that's pretty good offense, you know. And sometimes offense— good offense beats good defense.

But to your question, I think our guys have handled each game within itself relatively well. You know, the other day we needed to score to get our defense on balance the other night in the first half, and we found a way to score enough to only be down 2 when they shot as well as they did. We didn't shoot particularly well, and then the second— after being, I think it was like 1.45 OER in the first half, they were 0.6 in the second half.

And I think that's kind of gotten lost in like Michigan didn't play well. Well, we actually did the thing we do best well when we needed to do it best, which is really guard and shut teams out. And so I think the ability for our guys to adjust to what's needed to win each game has been something pretty impressive to me.

The experience helps. We've had guys step up and make plays that maybe they hadn't been making most of the game. Yaxel Lendeborg kind of— I don't want to say gets unfairly criticized. He's an adult.

He's a big boy. He gets what he's earned on all facets. But I think some of the little things he does within the game, his offensive rebound, um, the other day, his drive and kick to Trey McKenney, uh, at the end of the game, like, those are plays that kind of go unnoticed because people just expect the guy with the big name to score the points and make the winning shot.

It's not necessarily how it plays, but he's a big-time gravity guy. He draws a second defender, uh, he defends multiple positions every night. And I think our guys kind of have all found a way to, within their own strengths, impact when our team needs them to do whatever. Morez Johnson sometimes doesn't score.

Elliot Cadeau sometimes doesn't score. But when we need shots from them, they deliver for the most part. And so being able to win away from home obviously gives you a chance to experience that later in the season. And this will be probably the biggest test we've that so far. Charles.