Illinois Basketball: 5 big questions for the Illini against Michigan State

2. Who is going to match up on Tyson Walker?

Don’t let the 9-6 record fool you. Michigan State has a good team led by a phenomenal guard in Tyson Walker. The electric and speedy point guard has been the backbone of the program this season.

Walker is currently averaging 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He is hitting his shots at a clip of 49.1% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. He has been nearly unstoppable this season and is coming off a game against Northwestern where he dropped 27 points.

That leads me to wonder, who from Illinois will match up on Tyson Walker?

Walker is a 6-foot-1 point guard, but Illinois isn’t playing anyone consistently at that size. When I look at the starting lineup, there are three options. It can either be Ty Rodgers, Marcus Domask, or Luke Goode.

Domask has been sensational on the offensive end of the court, but there are some issues defensively. He isn’t a great defender by any means, so he shouldn’t be on Walker.

I believe Goode could match up with Walker at times, but the speed of Walker would get the best of him. Goode can lock down his opponent, so I am not too worried about switches.

Rodgers is the best bet to handle Walker. Rodgers can keep up with speedy guards, and even when they do get around him, Rodgers’ length can help him recover. I also believe that Rodgers’ length will also disrupt Walker’s three-point shooting ability.