Villanova readies for a physical test at Michigan State Friday

Villanova got a good look at what it can expect Friday night in East Lansing, Mich., last week inside the Liacouras Center.

Villanova coach Kyle Neptune used the words mean, nasty, big, and physical to describe the way Temple big man Jamille Reynolds (6-foot-11, 280 pounds) dominated the Wildcats on the glass and around the rim in a 68-64 ‘Nova loss.

Michigan State, Villanova’s opponent on Friday (8 p.m., FS1), might not have a 6-11 anchor inside, but junior Mady Sissoko, at 6-9 and 240 pounds, makes up for those extra inches with his physicality and athletic ability around the rim.

He’s not alone. The Spartans also will throw two big wings at the Wildcats, in 6-9 graduate senior Joey Hauser, who started his college career at Marquette, and 6-8 senior Malik Hall.

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Michigan State’s talented and athletic frontcourt allows the Spartans to beat you in a lot of ways. One of them is on the offensive glass. Sissoko grabbed four offensive boards and was dangerous in the lob game during Michigan State’s 86-77 overtime win over No. 4 Kentucky on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

“They’re huge,” Neptune said. “They’re very physical and they go after every offensive rebound. We’ve just got to make sure we’re matched with them on shots and we’re creating space for us to go get the ball.”

Villanova (2-1), which fell out of the Associated Press top 25 this week for the first time since February 2019, will have its biggest step up in competition so far this season on Friday night. Michigan State received the most votes for any team not in the top 25. KenPom has the Spartans as the 19th best team in the country (Villanova is No. 32).

Michigan State (2-1) is a 64-63 loss to Gonzaga away from being undefeated against some pretty good competition to start its 2022-23 season.

“They’ve been in a few battles already. ... So it’s going to be a good game for us to see where we’re at,” Villanova forward Brandon Slater said.

Asked what to expect from a Tom Izzo-coached team, Neptune said: “You just know they’re extremely tough. They play extremely fast and they’re extremely disciplined and well-coached.”

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Another potential game-changer lies in the transition game.

Neptune said entering this season that Villanova’s depth would mean a quicker pace. Villanova was 347th out of 358 teams in KenPom’s adjusted tempo rating last year. The Wildcats are 352nd out of 363 teams early in this season. That depth, however, hasn’t been available with two expected starters still out of the lineup. (Neptune had no update Friday on timetables for Justin Moore and Cam Whitmore.)

Michigan State doesn’t necessarily play that fast. The Spartans are 280th in tempo. But where they’ve been effective is in transition. In three games so far, Michigan State’s fast-break points go: 11, 14, and 9.

Villanova, by contrast, hasn’t had a fast-break basket since its season-opening win over La Salle, and it had only six that night. Temple outscored the Wildcats 16-0 on the fast break.

What gives?

“We definitely want to get out in transition,” Neptune said. “I think we just have to get some stops first.”

Coatesville native A.J. Hoggard, who went to Archbishop Carroll, has been a main catalyst in Michigan State’s transition game. He’s averaging 7.7 assists so far and was particularly effective in transition during Tuesday night’s overtime win vs. Kentucky.

“He’s a great player,” Slater said. “They have a bunch of great players like that.”