Michigan State basketball big men prepare to face ‘unique’ unicorns of U-M’s two 7-footers

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EAST LANSING — Carson Cooper couldn’t come to a comparison.

Which is a big reason Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, who in 30 years has schemed for every type of combination, calls facing Michigan’s Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin “unique” and “something different.”

“I feel like some teams might have had, like, one of their guys. But not two guys,” Cooper, a junior, said after the Spartans’ practice Wednesday. “That one guy is 7-foot coming off ball screens, and then the other guy is 7-foot setting the screens. I feel like we haven’t seen that since I’ve been playing here.”

Which puts the onus on Izzo’s big men to play big-time defense as 13th-ranked MSU tries to slow down the 12th-ranked Wolverines’ twin towers Friday night at Crisler Center (8 p.m., Fox) in a battle for first place in the Big Ten.

Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, right, and Carson Cooper, center, challenge a shot by Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

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“They’re well-coached, they play hard and they’re unique,” Izzo said after Wednesday’s workout. “It’s a unique team with two 7-footers. …. It is different. And that’s part of the challenge, it’s an exciting part of the challenge. Those guys have been good together.”

Wolf is the outlier between the two, a 7-foot, 250-pound point-forward whose versatility and ability to handle the ball would make him a unicorn in almost every level of basketball. The Yale transfer is averaging 12.9 points and 10 rebounds a game, but Wolf also is a skilled passer (3.6 assists) and shoots 36.1% from 3-point range.

Goldin, who followed U-M coach Dusty May from Florida Atlantic, is more of the traditional post player who gets things done inside with his massive 7-1, 250-pound frame. He leads the Wolverines at 15.7 points a game and grabs 6.2 rebounds. But he also isn’t…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/michigan-state-basketball-big-men-122154792.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-21 12:21:00

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