Three Things to Watch: Michigan State vs. Purdue

East Lansing, Mich. – After faltering down the stretch in a winnable game at Illinois on Friday night, Michigan State (11-5, 4-2) returns home for a game with No. 3 ranked Purdue on Monday at 2:30. The Boilermakers (16-1, 5-1) have won three straight games ahead of their match-up with the Spartans, who can prove themselves worthy Big Ten title contenders with a win on their home floor.

Continue below for Three Things to Watch in Michigan State’s match-up with Purdue:

1. Can Michigan State contain Zach Edey?

Michigan State has faced several dynamic big men this year, but none like Zach Edey, a 7-foot-4, 295-pound headache for the Spartans. Edey has gotten better every year he’s been at Purdue. As a junior, he is averaging 21.3 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while playing 31.2 minute per outing. Edey is shooting 62 percent overall and 74 percent from the free throw line.

The Spartans don’t have anybody on the roster that can play Edey straight-up for an entire game. Junior Mady Sissoko is the best bet that Michigan State has as a primary defender. But defending Edey is going to take a village. Foul trouble is a strong possibility for Sissoko, so freshmen Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper better be ready to provide some resistance.

“Sissoko is a guy that has really improved,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said in an interview with GoldandBlackIllustrated.com.  “You’ve seen a couple of games where offensively he is just more in the flow of things. He is just better. He is improved. He is a tough defender.”

Michigan State will likely throw a lot of different things at Edey. The Spartans have to mix it up on defense the way they did against Michigan center Hunter Dickinson. In that game, the Spartans defended Dickinson straight up with Sissoko at times, while mixing in double teams, and also getting help from guards digging into the post.

The Spartans frustrated Michigan with their defensive variety against Dickinson to the extent that Wolverine guards opted to take contested jumpers rather than feed the post. The difference between Michigan and Purdue is team discipline, and movement on the perimeter. Purdue is a disciplined team that gets the ball into the post and takes advantage of mismatches. The Boilermakers have a young backcourt, but Purdue guards are not going to settle for bad shots and freeze Edey out.

“It’s going to be interesting because they can guard a few different ways and play different ways,” Painter said. “That’s going to be an issue for us, being able to handle their defensive pressure, handle their physicality.”

I can’t remember the last time Purdue didn’t have an exploitable mismatch inside. In past years, when Michigan State has been really good in transition, the Spartans were able to force opposing bigs to run baseline to baseline. The wear-down effect of good transition basketball would pay dividends in the second half. Shots would start rimming out and free-throws would be short.

Michigan State hasn’t done a whole lot to give me confidence that they can wear down Edey with a sustained break. That is because the Spartans really haven’t been able to sustain effective transition offense from start to finish. Michigan State is playing its fourth game in 10 days against Big Ten competition. It’s hard to imagine the Spartans having the horsepower to run at the level necessary to wear down Edey.

It would still beneficial, however, to push tempo when possible. Purdue is typically one of the better defensive teams in the conference. Good looks in the halfcourt are tough to come by.

Michigan State isn’t going to shut down Edey. If the Spartans are going to make this a game, however, they need to make Edey work for whatever he gets. They also need to gang rebound on the defensive glass. Edey is the best rebounder the Spartans have faced this since Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky). While he isn’t as athletic as a Tshiebwe, Edey is hard to move. It’s really difficult to box him out and clear the class. Michigan State needs to body Edey up and have multiple rebounders in the area to secure defensive boards.

One of the reasons why Edey is shooting 62 percent as a junior is that he gets a lot of second-chance buckets. Michigan State can help itself substantially by limiting Edey as an offensive rebounder. That will not be easy, as Edey is averaging 5.1 offensive rebound per game.

2. Michigan State guards need to play well

AJ Hoggard has played well for the Spartans throughout the month of January, and that absolutely must continue into this game for Michigan State to have a chance at upsetting Purdue. One of the biggest challenges for any primary ballhandler against the Boilermakers is the physicality of Purdue’s backcourt defenders. The harassing nature of Purdue’s defense against primary ballhandlers can drain point guards over the course of a game.

Hoggard hasn’t played an overabundance of minutes this year. The Spartans have done a nice job of keeping fresh by playing him about 30 minutes per game. That may not seem like a lot of minutes, but Hoggard is doing more in his 30 minutes than others do in 40. Hoggard is not only serving as the primary ballhandler, but he is also being asked to defend an opposing team’s best backcourt player. Beyond that, Hoggard has also settled into that role of late shot-clock playmaker. In that role, he is exerting a lot of energy creating off-the dribble.

“Hoggard is a tough cover,” Painter said. “He had his way with us in the Big Ten Tournament on penetration and he is a really, really good player. For us it is going to be important to keep the ball out of the paint, and stay with those three guards.”

Purdue has a young backcourt, but the Boilermakers have gotten terrific guard play from the trio of Braden Smith (6-0, 180), Fletcher Loyer (6-4, 185), and Ethan Morton (6-7, 215). During Purdue’s three-game winning streak in Big Ten play, Loyer and Smith, both freshmen, are averaging a combined 32 points per game, while shooting over 50 percent from behind the 3-point line.

For Michigan State to win this game, the trio of Hoggard, Tyson Walker, and Jaden Akins must outplay their counterparts from Purdue.

“Tyson Walker with his ability, to score, and we talked about Hoggard,” Painter said. “Akins is a guy that scares me just because he is so athletic. He is streaky from three, If he gets going. It is going to be important for us to keep them out of the paint.”

That’s a lot to ask. Loyer is playing as well as any freshman in the Big Ten. Both he and Smith play with poise well beyond their years. Both of Purdue’s freshman guards have played well on the road.

“It’s having a chip on our shoulder,” said Loyer. “We go into every away game thinking they are going to bring their best, which they will. We like to keep the fans quiet a bit, go out there and play harder than them and show them what we are.”

Loyer, the younger brother of former Spartan Foster Loyer, may have an even deeper chip on his shoulder for this game due to his brother’s departure from the program.

Morton is a potential X-factor for Purdue. Michigan State would prefer to give up contested two’s inside to Edey than allow wide-open threes. That said, the Spartans are going to make Edey work inside, and to do that, they need to throw an occasional double team at Purdue’s center. Morton has shown the ability to get hot from three, but he is a guy that the Spartans would probably be willing to let shoot of Purdue’s three starting guards. Morton is shooting 25 percent from three to this point in the season.

It will take more than scoring and defending for Michigan State guards to outplay Purdue’s backcourt. Spartan guards also need to do a better job of moving the ball as passers when Michigan State is in its halfcourt sets. This isn’t a game where Michigan State can rely on creating for themselves off the dribble. Typically, when the Spartans beat Purdue they do so by sharing the basketball and making the extra pass.

There will be times when Michigan State needs big individual plays from guards. Spartan guards, however, shouldn’t settle for tough shots.

3. Michigan State needs strong bench production

On paper, Purdue reserves Mason Gillis, Brandon Newman, and Trey Renn-Kaufman may not seem all that scary. Don’t be surprised, however, if one of those players tips this game in favor of Purdue. Whichever team gets better play off the bench could ultimately prevail in this match-up between conference heavyweights.

“People aren’t going to have great numbers when they don’t have consistency with their minutes,” Painter said. “But what is your real ability? Can you shoot or not? (Michigan State) knows our players from high school. They know our guys from previous years.”

Gillis dropped 10 points on Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals last March, which Purdue won, 75-70. He made two 3-pointers in that game. And in a game like this he will be a willing rebounder. At 6-foot-7, 230, Gillis is a potential headache coming off the bench for Purdue.

Newman hasn’t played particularly well against Michigan State over the years, but he can get hot. At 6-foot-5, 200, Newman is one of those players that can go a couple of games without doing a whole lot, and then go on a tear.

When Michigan State plays Purdue, there is always a role player that does damage. Perhaps it will be an overlooked starter like Caleb Furst or Ethan Morton. Perhaps it will be a role player.

Michigan State needs its bench to play well in this game. It starts with freshmen bigs Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. Those guys must provide some type of resistance against Edey. It will not be easy. Cooper has played better than anyone could have expected in the last two games. Can he do it again? That’s a tough task.

Michigan State also needs quality minutes from its guards and wings off the bench. It’s hard to know what Malik Hall is capable of or if he’ll even be available after injuring his ankle against Illinois. If Hall is unavailable for this game, the Spartans need walk-on Jason Whitens to give them quality minutes on defense and as a willing rebounder. Michigan State also needs a good game from Pierre Brooks whether or not Hall is available to play.

Since Hall returned from a foot injury which kept him out for eight games, Brooks has seen his minutes decrease. He played just three minutes last Friday against Illinois, and four minutes the game before against Wisconsin. Michigan State would like to trust Books with more minutes, and needs him as a viable option in the playing group. But Brooks needs to provide reason to earn trust, especially on defense.

In this game, the Spartans may be forced to play Brooks more minutes. If Brooks does play a bigger role, he needs to compete his tail off on defense, do his part on the glass, and also knock down open shots when available.

That’s a tall task for Brooks. Then again, every player on the Michigan State roster will have their hands full against the best team in Big Ten.