Michigan State (20-15, 10-10 Big Ten)
Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo is entering his 30th season in charge of the program, shooting to extend an NCAA Tournament streak to 27. The Spartans lost their top three scorers from last year. Senior shooting guard Jaden Akins will have every chance to become a star after starting a team-high 35 games last year and averaging 10 points per game. Point guard Jeremy Fears is expected to be a key player after getting shot in the left thigh last December, limiting him to 12 games.
Players to watch
The 6-4 Akins will have a chance to show NBA scouts what he can do as the team’s go-to player. Omaha transfer Frankie Fidler gives Izzo a desperately needed shooter, who made 36% of his 3-pointers last season while starting 33 games and averaging 20 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Szymon Zapala, a 7-footer, helped Longwood University reach the last NCAA Tournament, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds a game in the Big South tournament.
Departures and arrivals
Leading scorer Tyson Walker and Malik Hall exhausted their eligibility while A.J. Hoggard (Vanderbilt) and Mady Sissoko (California) transferred. Walker’s 18.4 ppg average can potentially be filled by Akins, especially if he shoots better than 36% on 3-pointers. Fears will have every opportunity to be the team’s starting point guard. Jase Richardson, son of former Spartan and NBA player Jason Richardson, leads a three-player recruiting class that was No. 16 in 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
Top games
After opening with Monmouth on Nov. 4 at home, the Spartans will be tested Nov. 12 against top-ranked Kansas in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. They will play Colorado on Nov. 25 in the Maui Invitational, a tournament that also includes No. 3 Connecticut, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 11 Auburn. Michigan State plays rival Michigan and first-year coach Dusty May on the road Feb. 21 and at home March 9 in their regular-season finale.
Facts and figures
Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament streak is the longest in Big Ten history and trails just two: Kansas’ active run of 34 straight and North Carolina’s 27-year streak from 1975 to 2001. … Michigan State’s returning players also include forwards Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr along with C Carson Cooper, a trio that combined to average 11 points a game last season. … The Spartans’ recruiting class is rounded out with 6-4 guard Kur Teng and 6-10 forward Jesse McCulloch.
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