Wednesday, December 4
Minneapolis, Minn.
8:30 PM
Michigan State University
at
Minnesota
Michigan State Opens Big Ten Conference Play on Wednesday Night at Minnesota
12/3/2024 2:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team opens Big Ten Conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 4, visiting Minnesota (8:30 p.m., BTN).
The game will air live on BTN, with Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Kevin Pauga serving as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik is the studio host. The game can also be heard on channel 381 on SiriusXM and on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
The game will air live on BTN, with Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Kevin Pauga serving as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik is the studio host. The game can also be heard on channel 381 on SiriusXM and on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
- Michigan State enters Wednesday's game with a 6-2 overall record.
- The Spartans are ranked No. 41 in the NCAA Net Rankings, No. 36 per KenPom.com and No. 30 in the ESPN BPI.
- The Spartans are coming off a third-place finish in the Maui Invitational, including a 94-91 overtime win against then-No. 12 North Carolina.
- MSU, winners of four of its last five games, has three players scoring in double figures, seven averaging at least 7.0 ppg and 10 scoring at least 4.9 ppg.
- Senior guard Akins leads the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg and is second with 5.3 rpg.
- Senior forward Frankie Fidler is averaging 11.4 ppg and freshman guard Jase Richardson is third on the team with 10.4 ppg.
- Junior forward Jaxon Kohler is scoring 8.1 ppg and leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game, ninth in the Big Ten.
- Redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 7.5 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
- MSU is averaging 23.9 FT attempts per game after going to the line 17.2 times per game in 2023-24.
- The Spartans also rank No. 8 in the country in bench points per game (38.25 ppg) and are No. 6 in the country in fast break points per game (20.0 ppg).
- The Spartans also rank No. 17 in the country in bench points per game (39.0 ppg) and are No. 4 in the country in fast break points per game (24.4 ppg).
- Minnesota enters the game on Wednesday with a 6-3 overall record following a 79-62 win over Bethune-Cookman on Sunday.
- Prior to the win over Bethune-Cookman, the Gophers had lost two-straight games at the ESPN Events Invitational, first to Wichita State, 68-66 in overtime, and a 57-51 decision to Wake Forest.
- Senior forward Dawson Garcia is the lone player scoring in double figures for Minnesota, averaging 19.1 ppg, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
- The Gophers added nine new scholarship players and have more seniors (10) than any other Big Ten team in the league.
- Senior guard Mike Mitchell, one of two returning starters for the Gophers, has only played two games this year, averaging 6.5 ppg and 6.0 apg.
- Minnesota ranks 18th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (64.4 ppg) but ranks third in the league in scoring defense (58.9 ppg).
- The game on Wednesday will be the 140th meeting all-time between Michigan State and Minnesota.
- The Spartans won two of three meetings between the teams last year, including a Big Ten Tournament game.
- Michigan State leads the all-time series with Minnesota, 77-62 and has won four of the last five games between the teams and nine of the last 11 overall.
- MSU is 28-38 in road games in the series and has won three of the last five at Williams Arena.
- MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo is 39-13 all-time against Minnesota.
- Michigan State is 17-12 in Big Ten Conference openers under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
- MSU has lost its last two conference openers, including a 70-57 loss at home to Wisconsin last year.
- The game on Wednesday is the first time the Spartans have opened conference play on the road since the 2021-22 season (at Minnesota).
- MSU's last win in a conference opener was a 75-67 win at Minnesota on Dec. 8, 2021.
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