On Sunday, February 1st, two college basketball rivals play each other, and it will definitely not disappoint. Michigan State University’s women’s basketball team plays the University of Michigan women’s basketball team at 12:00 PM.
Currently, the Wolverines are ranked 9th in the NCAA, and the Spartans are ranked just behind them at 13th. Both teams have proven themselves to be very dominant. Each team clearly has strong abilities that make them so dominant within the NCAA.
The Spartans have a key defense where they are able to get boards and use them in transition in order to create scoring opportunities. A big part of their defense is Grace VanSlooten, who has the most blocks on the team. Also, MSU is very good at getting offensive rebounds; these offensive rebounds give them second-chance shots, which lead to more points.
While MSU excels in defense, the Wolverines are best at scoring and lead the Big Ten in scoring. They can push so much on offense due to many people, including the Sophomore Olivia Olson, who averages 18 points per game. Michigan uses their offense to their advantage, and you can see this by the multiple 100-point games they have had throughout the season.
With all this being said, it is hard to say who will win this rivalry due to how closely the teams are based on skill level. Throughout the game, I think the score will relatively stay equal, with the leaders changing throughout each possession.
I also think that this will be a very fast-paced game with lots of short, quick possessions. This will also lead to both teams having a high-scoring game. Although both teams will play hard defense, I think that because it will be such a close, fast-paced game, both teams’ offense will overpower each other’s defense and just be a very high-scoring game.
Another thing to discuss is the home court advantage, with the game being at MSU’s court, the Breslin Center. Having this home court advantage may give MSU a little advantage, especially if it is a rivalry, but overall, it seems clear that the Wolverines will stay focused, as shown in other games.
In the end, I think the final score will be 82-76 with the Michigan Wolverines coming out on top. Throughout the season, we have seen just how many points the Wolverines have been able to produce, and while MSU’s defense is one of the best, I just think that they won’t easily be able to stop U of M.
I do think that the game will be very close, which is why it would be such a great game to watch, two college rival teams that are both very dominant. As said before, this will lead to a must-watch NCAAW basketball game and will definitely be a big game for both programs.
