Michigan State Opens Maui Jim Maui Invitational Against Virginia Tech

Lahaina, Hawaii – The No. 3-ranked Michigan State men's basketball team plays Virginia Tech on Monday, Nov. 25 in the first round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The game tips off at 5 p.m. (noon HT) at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The game will air live on ESPN2, with Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas calling all of the action. The Spartan Sports Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at SpartanSportsNetwork.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on Sirius, XM and Internet 83.

Records
Michigan State has won three-straight games and enters the game with a 3-1 record, while Virginia Tech is 5-0. The winner plays the winner of a game between Dayton and Georgia on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

MSU in Maui

This will be Michigan State's fifth time participating in the Maui Invitational (1991, 1995, 2005, 2010).
The Spartans captured the championship in their inaugural trip in 1991, defeating Lamar, Rice and No. 2 Arkansas in the championship game, 86-71.
Tom Izzo made his head coaching debut at the 1995 Maui Invitational, defeating Chaminade, before falling to North Carolina and Santa Clara.
In the 2005 tournament, MSU defeated Chaminade before falling to Gonzaga in one of the greatest games in the history of the Maui Invitational, losing 109-106 in triple overtime ... Maurice Ager scored 36 points, including 27 in the last 7:09 of regulation and the overtime periods ... MSU bounced back the next day with a 74-71 overtime win vs. Arizona ... Ager earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team, averaging 26.3 points in three games.
In 2010, the Spartans finished in third place, beating Chaminade in the opening round (82-74), losing to UConn in the semifinals (70-67) and beating Washington (76-71). Kailin Lucas was named to the all-tournament team, averaging a team-best 22.3 points per game.

MSU in Preseason Tournaments

Michigan State has had success in preseason tournaments in recent years.
Last year, MSU won the Las Vegas Invitational, beating UCLA in the opening round and then posting a 78-68 win over Texas in the title game.
In 2017-18, MSU won the Victory Bracket of the PK80 Invitational in Portland, Ore., beating North Carolina, 81-63, in the title game.
It was the fourth time in the last five years that MSU had advanced to the championship game of a preseason tournament.
MSU has won the 2013 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Brooklyn and the 2015 Wooden Legacy in California, while finishing second in the 2014 Orlando Classic.

Series History

This will be just the second ever meeting between Michigan State and Virginia Tech.
The Spartans beat the Hokies, 96-77, in a semifinal of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Nov. 23, 2013.

About the Spartans

Senior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) leads MSU, and ranks second in the Big Ten, in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game … Winston is also second in the league in assists, averaging 7.0 per game.
Junior forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Christian) is second on the team with 12.0 points per game and tops the team, and is sixth in the Big Ten, with 9.5 rebounds per game and is adding 2.5 assists per game.
Sophomore forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) is third on the team with 11.3 points per game, while adding 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
MSU has five other players averaging at least 3.0 points per game, led by sophomore forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville), who is averaging 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.
Sophomore forward Thomas Kithier (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) is averaging 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while classmate Marcus Bingham Jr. (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Catholic Central) adds 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks and freshman forward Malik Hall (Aurora, Ill./Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]) is averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.

About Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech enters Monday's game in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational with a 5-0 record following a 100-64 win over Delaware State on Wednesday night, setting a school record with 21 3-pointers made during the game.
The Hokies have started the Mike Young Era with wins at Clemson (67-60) and at home against Coppin State (74-42), USC Upstate (80-57) and Lehigh (79-53).
The Hokies are scoring 80.0 points per game, led by redshirt freshman guard Landers Nolley II, who leads the team with 20.2 points per game and has connected on 45.9 percent of his 3-point attempts (17-of-37).
Freshman guard Nahiem Alleyne is second on the team with 12.6 points per game and has connected on 44.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (12-of-27).
The Hokies have six other players averaging at least 5.0 points per game, including junior forward P.J. Horne, who is adding 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Redshirt freshman guard Tyrece Radford chips in 7.4 points and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds, while junior guard Wabissa Bede is averaging 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.
The Hokies are averaging 13.6 3-pointers made per game.

Michigan State Opens Maui Jim Maui Invitational Against Virginia Tech

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Malik Hall

Aaron Henry

Thomas Kithier

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Cassius Winston

Michigan State Opens Maui Jim Maui Invitational Against Virginia Tech

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Malik Hall

Aaron Henry

Thomas Kithier

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Cassius Winston

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