Michigan State to face toughest test yet in No. 3 Arizona on Thanksgiving

EAST LANSING – Michigan State players gathered together on November 10 to watch what was then the game of the year in college basketball: Arizona rallying late to take down Duke and earn a rare win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

It’s not often that the entire team gathers to watch a full game live together. But the matchup featured the two top teams on Michigan State’s non-conference schedule.

The Spartans came up short in the first of those two games, when they fell to Duke by nine last week in Chicago.

But they feel good that they can win the second leg on Thursday, when the No. 21 Spartans take on No. 3 Arizona on Thursday at Acrisure Arena near Palm Springs, California.

“Now that we’ve got time to really spend on them is definitely, definitely big,” Spartans point guard A.J. Hoggard said.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo said he considers Arizona to be the best team the Spartans have played this season. On top of its Duke win, the Wildcats have won their other four games by 44 points and looked the part of a national title contender.

The challenge for Michigan State will start down low. Arizona returns first-year All-Pac 12 center Oumar Ballo, who stands at 7-foot, 260 pounds. In his last eight games against top 25 teams, Ballo is averaging 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

“Ballo has just turned himself into a heck of a player,” Izzo said. “He was a project, couldn’t even get on the floor at Gonzaga, and then he just got better and better and better and got in better shape.

Ballo is backed up by 7-foot-2, 260 pound freshman Motiejus Krivas, meaning there’ll likely be no reprieve for the Spartans’ big men.

Michigan State’s two healthy centers, Carson Cooper and Mady Sissoko, spent the offseason adding weight and strength to be prepared for matchups just like these – the type they’ve struggled against in the past.

“For me, it’s just going to be making sure I work my matchup on Thursday,” Cooper said. “Strength’s going to be a big part of that.”

Cooper will be making just his third career start, after taking over for Sissoko on Friday against Butler. Izzo said keeping both out of foul trouble will be one of the Spartans’ biggest concerns.

Michigan State will probably provide some help from its perimeter as Cooper and Sissoko battle down low. But if Michigan State helps too much Arizona has the shooters to make it pay.

Wildcats starting guard Kylan Boswell is shooting 68.2 percent from 3-point range, the second-best mark in the country. As a team, Arizona is top 15 in the country in 3-point percentage and top 10 in offensive efficiency.

While Michigan State has had strong perimeter defense, Arizona’s big and physical guards will pose a new challenge.

“I think they’re pretty tough and physical,” Izzo said. “I know their guards are very much that way. So it’ll be a good challenge for us.”

Michigan State will enter the game coming off of two of its strongest performances of the season: a 20-point win over Butler on Friday and a 32-point win over Alcorn State on Sunday since its loss to Duke.

The Spartans’ shooting steadily improved in those games after a 2-for-31 start to the season from 3-point range. And Michigan State will get a boost as leading scorer Tyson Walker is expected to return after missing Sunday’s game against Alcorn State game due to illness.

Michigan State will need him and its best games from everyone else against a team it’s known for weeks will be a difficult challenge.

“It’s going to be a great test for us,” Izzo said. “I do think it’s the best team we’ve played. It’ll be fun to see how we respond.”