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V-Cast: Breaking down the keys for Michigan State against New Mexico in Second Round

On3 imageby:Paul Konyndyk•03/22/25•

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V-Cast-New Mexico

CLEVELAND – Michigan State plays No. 10 seed New Mexico on Sunday for the right to go to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years. In order to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans will have to negotiate a tricky test against a team coached by former Minnesota coach Richard Pitino.

The Lobos earned the right to face Michigan State by defeating an experienced Marquette ballclub led by the three-headed monster of Kam Jones, David Joplin, and Stevie Mitchell. New Mexico countered with dynamic Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent and MW Defensive Player of the Year Nelly Joseph.

After press conferences and player interviews on Saturday, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk stepped onto the floor at Rocket Arena and weighed in on Michigan State’s Round of 32 match-up in the latest V-Cast.

V-CAST TOPICS

Donovan Dent: New Mexico guard Donovan Dent was named Mountain West Player of the Year as a junior after leading the conference in scoring and assists. Dent is a quick guard that can get into the paint as well as any guard in the NCAA Tournament. Like former Michigan State star Tyson Walker, Dent is a creative scorer inside the 3-point arc, and he uses ball screen effectively to get downhill. On Friday night in Cleveland Marquette attempted to contain the junior guard with lockdown defender Stevie Mitchell, who clamped down on the New Mexico star until the final minutes of the game. With the game on the line, however, Dent took over and lifted New Mexico into the Round of 32. Michigan State will throw different defenders at Dent in an effort to effectively contain him. Dent is a dynamic player, but continual rotation of fresh bodies will be difficult to contend with.

Rebound and Run: The transition game will likely determine the outcome of this game one way or another. New Mexico is among the best teams in college basketball at fastbreak scoring, which is something that Michigan State also hangs its hat on. The Spartans did a nice job of scoring in transition on Friday night against Bryant, as Michigan State had a 15-0 advantage in fastbreak points. Transition offense could once again be the secret sauce in a Spartan victory.

Nelly Joseph:  New Mexico is a much different team than Bryant. The Lobos have size inside with veteran center Nelly Joseph, a 6-foot-10, 241-pound senior who has played 156 collegiate games spanning five seasons, including three years at Iona and the last two for New Mexico. Joseph has played against teams with frontcourt depth in other games this season, but he has not played against a frontline with the size that Michigan State has that also wants to push the ball in transition. Joseph is a double-double machine, and he excels at finishing around the basket. Effective transition basketball is one way the Spartan can limit the damage potential presented by Joseph. If Michigan State bigs are able to sprint the floor in transition, it will be difficult for Joseph

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