Spartans Close Out Non-League Play Wednesday Afternoon against High Point

East Lasing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team will be playing just its second game in the last 18 days, hosting High Point University on Wednesday, Dec. 29 (3 p.m., BTN).

The Spartans opened the season with 11 games in 33 days (in New York City, Indianapolis, the Bahamas, Minneapolis and Michigan), then took 10 days off before playing Oakland (Dec. 21) and a week off before the High Point game.

The game will air live on BTN, with Chris Vosters and Stephanie White calling all of the action. The TCF Bank Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at MSUSpartans.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 133, XM 195 and channel 957 on the SiriusXM app.

Masks are required indoors for all individuals. Michigan State University requires all campus visitors, faculty, staff and students to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

About the Spartans

Michigan State enters the game on Wednesday with a 10-2 overall record, and wins in 10 of their last 11 games.
The Spartans are ranked #10 in the Associated Press and ESPN Coaches polls.
MSU is #11 in the NET Rankings and #2 in Strength of Schedule in the country among major conference teams.
MSU is No. 16 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency from KenPom.com.
The Spartans have been led this year by a stingy defense, which ranks among the leaders in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (No. 3, 38.8%), 3-point field goal percentage defense (No. 3, 27.6%), rebounding margin (No. 4, +8.60 rpg) and blocked shots (No. 1, 6.75 bpg).
Senior forward Gabe Brown is one of two players scoring in double figures and one of nine players averaging at least 4.9 points per game ... He leads the team with 13.3 ppg, while senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. is second on the team with 10.8 points per game and leads the team with 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game.
Junior forward Malik Hall is third with 9.9 ppg, while freshman guard Max Christie is averaging 9.4 ppg and 3.3 rpg.
Junior forward Julius Marble is averaging 5.6 ppg and 2.8 rpg and redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser adds 6.1 ppg and is second on the team with 5.7 rpg.
Junior guard Tyson Walker is averaging 7.3 ppg and leads the team with 5.5 assists, while sophomore teammate A.J. Hoggard is averaging 6.3 ppg, 4.3 apg and 1.9 rpg.

About High Point

High Point enters the game on Wednesday afternoon with a 6-6 overall record following a 55-52 win over Florida Atlantic on Dec. 21.
Junior guard John-Michael Wright leads the team with 21.1 points per game, which ranks ninth nationally.
Redshirt freshman guard Zach Austin, who has been named Big South Freshman of the Week four times this season, is second on the team with 13.9 points and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds.

Familiar Foes on the Sidelines

While Michigan State's game against High Point on Wednesday will be the first-ever meeting between the programs, that doesn't mean there isn't any familiarity between the programs.
The game will mark the 21st meeting between Spartans Head Coach Tom Izzo and High Point Head Coach Tubby Smith, with Izzo holding a 16-4 edge in head-to-head meetings.
Izzo and Smith first faced off against one another on March 21, 1999, when MSU beat Kentucky, 73-66, in the NCAA Tournament.
Smith was 2-4 against Izzo during his years at Kentucky and the duo met 14 teams when Smith coached at Minnesota.
Between the two, Izzo and Smith have combined for 1,290 wins.

Series History

Michigan State's game against High Point on Wednesday will be the first meeting between the programs.
The Spartans have played only two other schools from the Big South Conference.
MSU is 4-0 all-time against UNC-Asheville and is 1-0 against Charleston Southern.
MSU last played a Big South team on Nov. 18, 2019, a 94-46 win over Charleston Southern.