MSU basketball vs. Memphis at Maui: Prediction, Analysis, TV, Bets

On November 27, 2024By Littum

• What: Michigan State vs. Memphis, Maui Invitational semifinals

• When: 6:00 PM (ET) Tuesday

• Where: Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Hawaii

• TV/radio: ESPN/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; Sirius/XM Ch. 383 (MSU broadcast)

• Records/Rankings: MSU is 5-1 and unranked after beating Colorado 72-56 Monday in the Maui Invitational quarterfinals. Memphis is 5-0 and also unranked and just knocked off Connecticut in overtime in Monday’s Maui Invitational quarterfinals.

• Effort line: MSU -2

• Trainers: Michigan State – Tom Izzo is 712-296 in his 30th season as a head coach, all with the Spartans. Memphis – Penny Hardaway is 138-72 in his seventh season as a collegiate head coach, all with the Tigers.

• Series: MSU and Memphis have split their two meetings – with MSU losing in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and winning in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013.

Expected lineups

MSU

C (10) Szymon Zapala (7-0) 6.5

F (0) Jaxon Kohler (6-9) 9.2

G (8) Frankie Fidler (6-7) 11.3

G (3) Jaden Akins (6-4) 12.8

PG (1) Jeremy Fears Jr. (6-2) 6.5

Memphis

C (32) Moussa Cisse (6-11) 6.8

F (2) Nicholas Jourdain (6-7) 8.2

G (3) Colby Rogers (6-3) 12.6

G (4) PJ Haggerty (6-3) 22.4

G (11) Tyrese Hunter (6-0) 15.8

• Matchup Analysis: Memphis, which knocked off Connecticut in the Maui Invitational quarterfinals, looks to have one of the best offensive backcourts in the country in Tyrese Hunter and PJ Haggerty. Both guys love to play in transition and are willing to let it fly from deep, as we saw against Connecticut when they each attempted 10 3-pointers, Haggerty making seven and Hunter four of them. I think MSU’s best lineup right now is a three-guard lineup with Jase Richardson, Jaden Akins and either Jeremy Fears or Tre Holloman around Coen Carr at power forward and Jaxon Kohler or maybe another big man. This might be a good game for that. Memphis plays three guards, with Colby Rogers, another skilled offensive player and shooter, joining Haggerty and Hunter. Inside, the Tigers go with either 6-11 Moussa Cisse or 6-9 Dain Dainja, who provided the Spartans offense when he was at Illinois.

Memphis is shooting close to 48% on 3-point attempts this season, second best in Division I college basketball. MSU is shooting 20%. That’s number 362. This is one of those games where if those numbers aren’t closer to each other, the Spartans don’t have a chance, no matter how well they play defensively, on the glass and get downhill in the paint.

FROM 2019: Couch: For Tom Izzo, Maui was the beginning of building MSU basketball

• Prediction: MSU is a 2-point favorite in this game and Kenpom only has the Spartans losing by 1. And I think MSU is playing pretty well in certain areas right now. But unless Memphis cools off or MSU heats up, it’s hard to imagine MSU winning. And we will have to see it before we can begin to predict it.

• Make it: Memphis 76, MSU 71

RELATED: Couch: 3 rushing touchdowns in Michigan State’s 72-56 win over Colorado at the Maui Invitational