Couch: ESPN GameDay gives MSU a chance to quickly change its narrative

EAST LANSING - ESPN’s College GameDay is only a television show.

It doesn’t come with an NCAA tournament bid or a championship of any sorts. Not even a Rece Davis or Jay Bilas bobblehead for the trophy case.

But to say Saturday’s College GameDay visit to East Lansing isn’t a substantive moment in Michigan State’s basketball season would be to ignore the feelings of MSU’s players. And the trajectory of MSU’s season.

GameDay’s impact is in the platform it provides. It props up one game above all others on a random Saturday. This week, that’s Maryland at MSU. The college basketball world knows the game is happening. It knows who wins and who plays well. And it remembers.

It’s a chance to redirect an ongoing narrative. The Spartans could use that right now.

“Then we can start feeling good about ourselves again,” MSU senior Denzel Valentine said.

Three straight losses won’t disappear with a win against the seventh-ranked Terrapins. But they’ll be over.

The new narrative will be that MSU is back after a blip, again among a dozen or so contenders for the national championship, with Valentine on the radar for national player of the year.

That’s how this works. It did the first time.

Men�s basketball tipoff: Maryland at MSU

Remember, MSU and Valentine vaulted into the national consciousness on a similar stage in November — when Valentine dropped 29 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds on Kansas in a 79-73 win in front of fawning national press at the Champions Classic.

From there, every game MSU won was further proof of what folks thought they saw that night in Chicago.

Same deal here. If the Spartans beat Maryland, wins next week at Northwestern and against Rutgers would be viewed as evidence that MSU is again rolling.

If MSU loses Saturday, next week’s slate might as well be televised on the old PASS Sports network (A-B switch on the back of your cable box required). No one will see meaning in them, if they see them at all.

“This is going to be huge,” Valentine continued. “It’s a home game for College GameDay, a top 10 team ... ”

It’s a big opportunity. But only that. MSU has lost three straight because it’s a flawed team right now, one searching for an identity and the right mix on the court.

And it might be missing its two most important defensive pieces for this matchup — point guard Tum Tum Nairn to guard Maryland’s Melo Trimble, and center Matt Costello to limit Terrapins freshman big man Diamond Stone.

Nairn will miss his third game after playing through plantar faciitis in his right foot all season. Matt Costello sprained his right ankle in Wednesday’s loss to Nebraska. He’ll probably play, but it’s unclear how much or how effective he can be.

Trimble makes Maryland go. He torched MSU in the first meeting last year. He’ll be in an NBA backcourt next year.

Without Nairn available, Eron Harris will get the most challenging defensive assignment of his short MSU career.

“I think he’s ready,” Valentine said of Harris, a transfer from West Virginia. “If he puts his mind to it and he plays aggressively and kind of angry, I think he’s probably our best defender on him.

“I’ve seen it. He used to guard Travis (Trice) every day in practice last year. He and Travis used to go at it. And when he got mad, it was pretty tough for Travis to get some shots up and get going. (Harris) has a name, but he could make a bigger name of himself if he plays good defense on him.

“It’s a major opportunity for him, for us, to win this game, to put our name back on the map.”

Graham Couch can be reached at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

Maryland at MSU

When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday (College GameDay show, 11 a.m. ESPN)

Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing

TV/radio: ESPN/WJIM 1240-AM, WMMQ 94.9-FM

Food drive: Non-perishable food items and cash donations will be accepted at Breslin as part of MSU’s annual food drive, chaired by Lupe Izzo.

Fan Information For ESPNs College GameDay - Michigan State Official Athletic Site