Michigan State Basketball vs. St. John’s: Game Time, TV, Live Stream
The #24 Michigan State Spartans will take on the St. John’s Red Storm in the quarterfinal of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Wednesday.
The #24 Michigan State Spartans (2-2) will be far from home once again on Wednesday, as they face the St. John’s Red Storm (2-1) in the quarterfinal of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. The winner of the game will advance to Thursday’s semifinal and face the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Baylor and Texas Christian. The losers of the two games will also meet on Thursday in the tournament’s consolation bracket.
The Spartans have been wildly inconsistent so far this season. They got off to a fast start against Arizona on Veteran’s Day only to let the Wildcats back in before losing in the final seconds. They were completely outplayed by Kentucky, then blew out Mississippi Valley State and barely escaped the upset against Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday night with a little help from an overzealous clock operator.
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Now 2-2 and recently demoted to #24 in the AP Poll, Michigan State will look to right the ship on Wednesday. Freshman Miles Bridges has garnered much attention, leading the Spartans in minutes (34.8), points (16.0), rebounds (9.3) and blocks (1.5) per game, but he also leads them in turnovers with 4.3 per game. Senior Eron Harris is starting to become a primary offensive threat, scoring 50 points in his last two games while guards Lourawls Nairn Jr. and freshman Cassius Winston have combined for over ten assists per game.
The biggest area of concern for the Spartans right now might be their free-throw shooting, which was almost their undoing on Sunday against Florida Gulf Coast. Their top three scorers (Bridges, Harris and freshman big man Nick Ward) are each shooting less than 55% from the line so far, and the team as a whole has only made 54.1% of their free throws this season. Rebounding is also a concern. Bridges, Ward and sophomore Kenny Goins each average over six boards per game, but the Spartans were out-rebounded 41-29 on Sunday by the Eagles.
The Red Storm are looking to improve from a difficult 2015-16 campaign, during which they won only one game in the Big East in their first year under head coach Chris Mullin. They already look improved in 2016-17, having blown out Bethune-Cookman 100-53 in their opener before defeating Binghamton and narrowly losing to Minnesota on Friday after building a double-digit first-half lead.
After missing last season due to being a partial academic qualifier, freshman Marcus LoVett has been impressive for St. John’s in his first three games, leading the Red Storm in minutes (32), points (24.3) and assists (5.3) per game. He has shot 52.4% from beyond the arc and only commits a turnover every 16 minutes on average.
The Red Storm have rebounded well in their first three games, averaging 43.3 per game as a team. They are led on the glass by Shamorie Ponds, who averages seven rebounds per game and scored 23 points against Minnesota on Friday.
Here are all the details for today’s game:
#24 Michigan State Spartans vs. St. John’s Red Storm
Imperial Arena – Nassau, Bahamas
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: The game will be broadcast AXS TV, a music channel which also hosts MMA and New Japan Pro Wrestling. This is the sixth year in a row the network has carried Battle 4 Atlantis games.
Live Stream: It appears that the game will be streamed for free on the official St. John’s athletics website.
Radio: Will Tieman will be on the mic for the Spartan Sports Network. A full list of over-the-air radio affiliates is available here, and the game can be streamed through the SSN Mobile App with a subscription.
Series History: The Spartans and Red Storm have met twice before, St. John’s winning both of those games, including the 1968 Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden and the 1979 Lapchick Tournament final.
Line: There is no line currently set for this game. St. John’s was a seven-point underdog in their most recent game against Minnesota, which they lost 92-86.