The Reveille sports editor Kennedi Landry caught up with State New beat reporter Casey Harrison ahead of LSU basketball’s matchup with Michigan State in the Sweet 16 at 6 p.m. Friday night. 
Michigan State finally got back to the Sweet 16 after missing it for three years straight. Is the doubt driving this team?
Harrison: I wouldn’t say so. I think the upperclassmen — especially seniors Kenny Goins and Matt McQuaid — felt a slight burden to help bring Tom Izzo another deep run in March mostly because they’re the only players left that were on the roster for the loss to then-15 seed Middle Tennessee in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Otherwise, the Cassius Winston/Joshua Langford/Nick Ward class of juniors came in knowing what the expectation was. I think what’s really driving this team has been the elevation in Winston’s play. The offense flows through him and they’re a completely different team with him off the floor.
Coach Tom Izzo mentioned he wasn’t totally pleased with how the Spartans played last weekend. What do they need to do better going into this weekend?
Harrison: If MSU can’t take care of the ball, they’re quickly going to find themselves out of any game this deep into the tourney. The Spartans had 22 turnovers to account for 28 Minnesota points in last week’s 70-50 second round win. To an extent, Izzo’s offensive scheme of rebound-first to set up the fast break on nearly every play can be prone to sloppy ball control. But they’ve been able to wear most teams out for it to not be a problem like it’s been the past few seasons.
Any matchups you’re looking forward to on either side of the ball?
Harrison: Cassius Winston and Tremont Waters is definitely the matchup to watch Friday. I think Waters is the better athlete, but Winston’s vision, feel and ability to control the pace of the game is as good as I’ve seen in college basketball this season. Another matchup that might not have the same appeal is Nick Ward and Naz Reid — Ward suffered a hairline fracture in his left hand on Feb. 17 and was out until the Big Ten Tournament started. He’s been working his way back off the bench ever since, but given LSU’s size, I think these big men can have an absolute slugfest down low.
What does LSU need to do to beat Michigan State?
Harrison: I think LSU will have a decent chance at beating MSU if they can control the rebounding advantage. Both teams come in averaging nearly 40 boards per game, and rebounding is the foundation of the Spartans’ fastbreak offense. It will also make life for the Tigers a lot easier if they can somehow manage to stop Winston. The Tigers can also force some offensive mismatches for Skylar Mays if Aaron Henry or Matt McQuaid get into foul trouble. Since Kyle Ahrens sprained his left ankle on March 17, MSU’s bench went down to seven players and are severely lacking at the wing.
What does Michigan State need to do to beat LSU?
Harrison: Like LSU, if MSU can rebound the way it wants, it will allow Winston to get running offensively and share the ball how he sees fit. Limiting turnovers will also be a plus, as will keeping the frontcourt — guys like Goins, Ward and Xavier Tillman out of foul trouble.
The spread for this game is about -6 favoring Michigan and ESPN gives the Spartans an 80.7 percent chance to win this game. Do you agree with these predictions? Why or why not?
Harrison: I think that’s underselling LSU, honestly. Unless the bookies in Las Vegas know something we don’t, these teams match up very well schematically. They both run high-tempo offenses and are two of the best rebounding teams in the country. I think Michigan State is the better overall team, especially given LSU’s youth, but with such a talented rotation it’s totally possible to play on Sunday.
Game and score prediction?
Harrison: This has a chance at being a really close game if both teams rebound to their abilities. But I think what helps the Spartans is the ability to close games out late — I feel MSU is certainly a “second-half” team while LSU does its best work before halftime. If the Tigers try to match MSU’s pace, I think they run the possibility of running out of gas.
With that said, I’ll say MSU 79, LSU 75.