East Lansing, MI (My Sportsbook) - The second-ranked Michigan State Spartans host a pair of games this weekend as part of the Legends Classic, beginning with tonight's affair against the Toledo Rockets.
Toledo is still searching for its first win of the season, having dropped a pair to Eastern Illinois (72-69) at home, and to Cincinnati (92-68) on the road just two days ago. The Rockets are coached by Gene Cross, who with several young players and not a senior among them, will need to do a masterful job in making his team relevant in the Mid-American Conference this season.
At the other end of the spectrum is Michigan State, a team that is not only primed for a run at the top of the Big Ten Conference yet again, but should also be a serious player in the chase for the national title. Tom Izzo is the second-winningest coach in MSU history, and he already has a national championship to his credit (2000). The Spartans took care of Florida Gulf Coast (97-58) in their season opener, but had a tougher time against visiting Gonzaga on Tuesday night, slipping past the Bulldogs in a 75-71 final. Michigan State has won 41 straight game at home over non-conference opponents.
The Spartans own a 4-3 lead in the all-time series with Toledo, although it was the Rockets who came out on top in the most recent meeting, 81-76, in East Lansing back on December 30, 2002.
Despite hitting 11 three-pointers, the Rockets wound up on the short end of a 92-68 decision at Cincinnati in their last outing. Freshman guards Jake Barnett and Stephen Albrecht led the way for Toledo with 21 and 19 points, respectively, as the youngsters appear to have the talent needed to get this team out of the depths of relative obscurity. Barnett is averaging a team-high 15.0 ppg through the first couple of game. Justin Anyijong also was in double figures for UT in the loss to the Bearcats, logging 10 points, while sophomore Larry Bastfield dished out a career-high seven assists. Cincinnati won the war on the boards, 38-28, and scored 21 points off 16 Toledo turnovers. The Bearcats shot 52.1 percent from the floor and UC's reserves outscored UT's bench by a 38-11 margin.
Although it is not the same Gonzaga team as in years past, Izzo and the Spartans knew it was going to take a complete effort to come away with the victory earlier this week. Durrell Summers scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, while Kalin Lucas went 7-of-16 from the field to finish with 19 points. He also handed out five assists. Raymar Morgan, battling injuries to both ankles, limped his way to 16 points off the bench, going 10-of-11 at the free-throw line. Gonzaga was limited to just 35.7 percent shooting from the floor, which included a poor 4- of-18 showing from beyond the arc. The Spartans once again won the rebounding battle, 44-38, but 20 turnovers allowed the Bulldogs to make a game of it. Lucas and Summers are averaging 20 and 19 ppg, respectively, after two games, and the team is hitting 45.3 percent of its field goal attempts while allowing the opposition to convert just 36.2 percent of their total shots.
