Men’s basketball tipoff: MSU vs. Florida Gulf Coast
•What: Florida Gulf Coast at MSU
•When: 7 tonight
•Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing
•Tickets: $15-$32, available at MSUSpartans.com or by calling 517-355-1610
•TV/Radio: Big Ten Network / Spartan Sports Network, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM
•Records/Rankings: MSU is 1-2 and ranked No. 13 in both the USA Today Coaches poll and the Associated Press. Florida Gulf Coast is 1-2 and unranked.
•Coaches: MSU — Tom Izzo is 525-207, in his 22nd season, all with the Spartans. Florida Gulf Coast — Joe Dooley is 123-92 in his eighth season, including 66-40 in this fourth season with the Eagles.
•Series: MSU leads 1-0, winning the only previous meeting in 2009.
Florida Gulf Coast
Pos. | Name | PPG |
F (21) | Demetris Morant (6-9) | 5.0 |
F (10) | Kevin Mickle (6-7) | 0.7 |
G (3) | Rayjon Tucker (6-5) | 7.3 |
G (0) | Brandon Goodwin (6-2) | 20.0 |
G (5) | Marcus Romain (6-2) | 15.7 |
MSU
Pos. | Name | PPG |
C (25) | Kenny Goins (6-6) | 5.0 |
F (22) | Miles Bridges (6-7) | 17.0 |
G (20) | Matt McQuaid (6-4) | 9.0 |
G (14) | Eron Harris (6-3) | 9.3 |
G (11) | Tum Tum Nairn (5-10) | 2.3 |
•Florida Gulf Coast update: The Eagles face their third big-time opponent this season, having lost to Florida (80-59) and Baylor (82-71). Their win came at home against UT-Arlington (85-72). Florida Gulf Coast’s basketball program is best known for its NCAA tournament run in 2013, when, as a No. 15 seed, it reached the Sweet 16 and earned the nickname, “Dunk City.” The Eagles, who have only been a full-fledged Division I program since 2011, also made last season’s NCAA tournament by winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. Florida Gulf Coast returns 80 percent of their offensive production from last season. It also added this year’s leading scorer, Central Florida transfer Brandon Goodwin, to the mix.
•MSU update: MSU is feeling a bit better about itself after a 100-53 win over Mississippi Valley State on Friday night. Low-major opponents rarely provide the opportunity for much growth, but the Spartans needed to see their offense work and for a couple of their players to get going. All of that happened, with Eron Harris scoring 19 points and knocking down five 3-pointers, Matt McQuaid hitting three straight 3s and Miles Bridges scoring 21 first-half points on 10 of 11 shooting. The only concerning development for MSU was Josh Langford’s hobbled stride. The freshman guard is still dragging his leg coming off a hamstring injury. It was noticeable Friday.
•About the matchup: Florida Gulf Coast is lighting it up from beyond the arc, making 26 of 59 3s (44 percent) through three games. That’ll test MSU’s perimeter defense and its communication. The Eagles’ result against Florida is misleading. That was a close game until midway through the second half. MSU has held all three of its opponents below 40 percent shooting. This should be a much stiffer test than Mississippi Valley State.
•Prediction: Florida Gulf Coast is a high-end low-major, good enough to find out if the Spartans have any debilitating weakness. They won’t have a matchup for Miles Bridges, but if the Eagles are hitting, they can hang around.
» Make it: MSU 84, Florida Gulf Coast 71
— Graham Couch