Tag: Spartan Basketball

Langford, Loyer, Henry named MSU team captains for 2020-21 season

Michigan State basketball officially announced its 2020-21 team captains on Thursday.

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Michigan State basketball officially announced its 2020-21 team captains on Thursday, with senior Joshua Langford, junior Foster Loyer and junior Aaron Henry being named captains. The captains were reportedly determined by a team vote.

“When you have a vote among your players to determine captains, it’s always interesting to see who the team looks to and in this case, I think our team selected three players who are true leaders in our program,” head coach Tom Izzo said in a statement. “Josh Langford is one of the most disciplined players we’ve ever had here and it’s a testament to him that he is a captain for his third-straight year. It’s a special type of person to command that respect from his team and Josh has earned that.

“I’m happy to see Aaron and Foster get that recognition from their teammates. Both of them have some very good experience and are guys who are not afraid to speak up and say what is on their mind, both on and off the floor. They are two of our hardest-working players and I think they will be great leaders for our team.”

Kyle Austin of MLive pointed out that Langford is now the sixth player in MSU basketball history to be a captain three straight years. Langford has missed much of the last two seasons with a foot injury and originally planned on hanging up his Spartan jersey after last season, but back in the late spring Izzo announced Langford had reconsidered coming back for one more season in 2020-21.

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Report: Gavitt Games ā€˜unlikely to take placeā€™ this year

The plan is to move forward with the Gavitt Games returning for the 2021-22 season.

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Jon Rothstein continues to help us piece together the 2020-21 Michigan State basketball schedule, and he reported on Wednesday what we had originally thought to be the case last week — no Gavitt Games this year.

Last week, we tried reading the tea leaves of numerous reports and it seemed apparent Michigan State would not participate in this yearā€™s Gavitt Tipoff Games. There simply appeared to be no room in the Spartansā€™ schedule based on previous reports and there were thoughts that only geographically close matchups (i.e. Northwestern-DePaul or Nebraska-Creighton) would take place in the event so it should come as no shock that Rothstein is reporting the event wonā€™t occur this year.

Rothstein added that the plan is to move forward with the Gavitt Games returning next year — which Michigan State should certainly be part of based on contract obligations.

With the Gavitt Games officially off the table, Michigan State still has two spots to fill on their non-conference portion of the 2020-21 schedule. We can expect those two slots to be filled by traditional ā€œbuy gamesā€ with two mid-major opponents visiting the Breslin Center.

Here is how the non-conference schedule is appearing to shape up based on reports from college basketball insiders:

  • Nov. 25 ā€“ 27: Orlando Invitational (three games; tournament field includes Gonzaga, Auburn, Xavier, Belmont, St. Louis, Boise State and eighth TBD team)
  • Dec. 1: Champions Classic vs. Duke
  • Dec. 8 or 9: ACC-Big Ten Challenge vs. TBD team
  • December: Two more non-conference games

Read more on how the Spartan basketball schedule is looking based on reports

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Rockett Watts listed as one of college basketball’s top ‘breakout’ players in 2020-21

Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today listed Watts as one of the top breakout players in all of college basketball entering this season.

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Rocket Watts finished last year strong, and that impressive final stretch has him on the lookout by many as we enter the upcoming season — including Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today.

In September, Rothstein listed Watts as one of the top breakout players in the Big Ten entering the 2020-21 season, and this week he elevated that claim to one of the top breakout players in all of college basketball.

ā€œWatts averaged 17.8 points during Michigan Stateā€™s final four games of last season before things were shut down due to COVID-19. If he can keep his offense elite while also creating for his teammates, this 6-2 sophomore has the requisites to be one of the best players in the Big Ten,ā€ Rothstein wrote on Watts.

Watts averaged 9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season, and as Rothstein said really came on strong down the stretch for the Spartans. The sophomore guard is expected to take on a larger role this year with Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman off to the NBA. It is unknown at this point if Watts will take over Winstonā€™s spot as the lead point guard or if heā€™ll remain more of a scoring threat off the ball.

Click here to read the entire list of players that made Rothsteinā€™s breakout list, including two other guys from Big Ten squads.

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Multiple reports indicate MSU unlikely to play in Gavitt Games

A pair of reports from college basketball insiders indicates the Spartans won’t take place in this year’s Gavitt Tipoff Games

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The reports keeping coming and the puzzle pieces keep sliding into place on Michigan State basketballā€™s 2020-21 schedule.

Yesterday, I published an article on the latest status of the Spartansā€™ 2020-21 college basketball schedule with a few unknowns still lingering. One of those question marks was the Gavitt Tipoff Games — which traditionally pits the Big Ten and Big East, similar to the ACC-Big Ten Challenge — but a pair of reports from college basketball insiders indicates the Spartans wonā€™t take place in this yearā€™s event.

Andy Katz of NCAA.com reported the Big East is ā€œcommittedā€ to playing their agreed-upon series of games with the Big 12, appearing to put the Gavitt Games on the back burner for the league. Katz added that a handful of Big Ten-Big East games could be played if the teams are located close to each other, such as Northwester-DePaul or Nebraska-Creighton.

Earlier in the day, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweeted that the Big East has a target window of Dec. 12 – 23 to play potentially four conference games, which basically takes up the entire back half of December from playing non-conference games.

So with Michigan State having no nearby Big East opponents, and their schedule basically booked up through Dec. 9 and the Big Ten schedule most likely starting no later than early January, it seems almost impossible to squeeze in the Gavitt Games this year.

Keep in mind, that this is all speculation at this point since neither Michigan State nor the Gavitt Games have announced anything but it does make sense for the Spartans to skip the event this year. Their non-conference schedule was stripped down from normally 11 games to only seven because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly all of those seven games are already filled up with high-level competition.

Here is the current schedule breakdown based on reports from the past few weeks:

  • Nov. 25 – 27: Orlando Invitational (three games; tournament field includes Gonzaga, Auburn, Xavier, Belmont, St. Louis, Boise State and eighth TBD team)
  • Dec. 1: Champions Classic vs. Duke
  • Dec. 8 or 9: ACC-Big Ten Challenge vs. TBD team
  • December – March: 20-game Big Ten conference schedule

This leaves the Spartans with two non-conference games left to add to the schedule. If teams are thinking more locally-based when finding opponents, donā€™t be surprised if the Spartans add the Oakland Grizzlies and one of the in-state Mid American Conference foes to round out the schedule.

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What we know about MSU Basketballā€™s 2020-21 Schedule

Thereā€™s been a flurry of reports over the past few weeks giving us the opportunity to piece together the Spartansā€™ 2020-21 schedule.

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In a normal year the Michigan State basketball schedule would have been finalized a few months ago and weā€™d already be able to play the win-loss prediction game as the season neared. However, as we all know by now 2020 has been far from a normal year so it is no surprise that we are less than two months out from the opening tip of the season and we still donā€™t know who, when or where exactly MSU will be hitting the hardwood this year.

The good news is thereā€™s been a flurry of reports over the past few weeks giving us the opportunity to piece together the Spartansā€™ 2020-21 slate as we await for the final schedule to be released from the school. A number of national media members and college basketball insiders have put out reports related to the Spartans in the past two weeks, making it easy to connect the dots on what Michigan Stateā€™s schedule will look like this season.

Hereā€™s what we know about the upcoming Michigan State basketball schedule — keeping in mind that these are reports from undisclosed sources,Ā  and that we are still awaiting the official schedule to be released from the program.

MSU will open season with Orlando Invitational

Thanks to Jon Rothstein, college basketball insider with CBS Sports, we now know the Spartans will start the 2020-21 season with the Orlando Invitational. Rothstein reported on Tuesday that the Orlando Invitational will take place from Nov. 25 – 27, and with Nov. 25 being the first official day games can take place this year, itā€™s now evident that the Spartans will open the campaign with this early-season tournament.

The other teams in the tournament currently include potential-preseason No.1 Gonzaga, Auburn, Xavier, Belmont, St. Louis and Boise State. The eighth team is still to be determined at this point.

We are still waiting to see how the bracket looks, but we at least know the Spartansā€™ first three games of the season will take place in the Orlando Invitational.

Spartans-Blue Devils renew rivalry to start December

Based on the rotation of teams, we knew entering this year that Michigan State would face off against Duke in the Champions Classic, but we werenā€™t sure exactly when and where. Jeff Goodman of Stadium confirmed earlier reports that the Champions Classic will be played on Dec. 1, and will also take place in the Orlando bubble.

This will be the fifth straight year the Spartans and Blue Devils will battle on the hardwood, with Duke winning three of the last four meetings — including last year at the Breslin Center.

ACC-Big Ten Challenge: We know when and potentially where, but not who

It was reported last week that the ACC-Big Ten Challenge would move forward as originally planned with games taking place on-campus on Dec. 8 and/or Dec. 9. Depending on how the rest of the schedule shakes out, this will most likely be the Spartansā€™ first game played outside of the Orlando bubble, and potentially the first true road game of the year for Michigan State. The Spartans hosted Duke last year in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge so expect them to be on the road this season.

With Duke already on the schedule, potential opponents for Michigan State in this year’s edition of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge includes North Carolina, Virginia, Louisville or Florida State. Andy Katz of NCAA.com believes the Spartans and Cavaliers would make for a great early-season match-up.

Rest of schedule still left to be determined

Based on all of these reports, five of the maximum seven non-conference games are accounted for meaning there are still two open spots. Michigan State is contracted to play in the Gavitt Games as well, which pits the Big Ten against the Big East, but reports indicate that the Spartans won’t participate in this year’s event. If the event is played, then the Spartans will have one remaining non-conference game left to add.

Expect the Big Ten to keep the same 20-game model as the past two seasons to round out the rest of the 2020-21 schedule. In previous years, Big Ten teams have played at least two games in the month of December but at this point there is no indication if that will continue this season or not.

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Michigan State basketball players react to abrupt end of the season

Michigan State basketball players took to social media, reacting to the abrupt end of the NCAA season. Here are a handful of reactions.

Well, it looks like we now live in March Sadness. Big Ten Tournament has been canceled. NCAA Tournament has been canceled. No more Michigan State basketball. Cassius Winston & Kyle Ahrens already posted about the season on Instagram. Here are a handful of other social media reactions from MSU players.

Xavier Tillman

Xavier Tillman posted a photograph of himself and his daughter, Ayanna Tillman, on Instagram. Tillman expressed disappointment on behalf of MSU seniors unable to finish their final year with an NCAA Tournament run.

Aaron Henry

Aaron Henry posted a collection of photographs from the season, expressing some disappointment in the wake of tournament cancellations.

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Gabe Brown

Gabe Brown posted a photograph on Instagram, celebrating the familial bond of his team.

Malik Hall

Malik Hall enjoyed an exciting freshman season, averaging 15.9 minutes per game and starting most games during the closing stretch this year. He posted a nice tribute on Twitter:

Julius Marble

Julius Marble did not play too much in his freshman season but seemingly won the hearts of many MSU fans. He will probably play more off the bench next year as a rim running big. Marble expressed his disappointment in this season’s abrupt end on Twitter.

Conner George

Michigan State senior Conner George joked on Twitter about MSU’s preseason No. 1 ranking, lightening up a rather somber timeline.

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Bingham posted a collection of photographs on Instagram, commemorating the season.

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MSU Basketball Guard Cassius Winston says he “went out a Champion” on SportsCenter

Michigan State Basketball Guard Cassius Winston spoke on the abrupt end of his career on SportsCenter. Read his quote here.

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The NCAA basketball season has abruptly ended due to concerns of the quickly spreading COVID-19. As a result, we will no longer see Cassius Winston play in Green & White. Cassius Winston took the time to speak at SportsCenter and said that he “went out a champion”.

The NCAA Tournament and Big Ten Tournament have both been canceled. As a result, Winston ends his career with 1969 points, 890 assists, 3 Big Ten Titles, and a Final Four appearance. Most importantly, he will go down as the most beloved Spartan athlete of all time.

As Winston mentioned, he went out as a champion winning a share of the Big Ten Championship. At least we can look back fondly at his impressive career at Michigan State. Even if we do not get to see him fulfill a National Title run.

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Cassius Winston Ranks No. 5 on Andy Katz’s Top 10 All-American Candidates

MSU basketball Guard Cassius Winston is number five on Andy Katz’s top 10 All-American candidate list. Read more details here.

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Michigan State basketball Guard Cassius Winston ranks no. 5 on Andy Katz Top 10 All-American. Quite a week for Winston who was also named First-Team All-Big Ten for the second straight year. He was also named a Second-Team All-American by NBC Sports. This year, Winston averaged 18.6 points on 45% shooting from the floor along with 2.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Note, Luka Garza tops this list at number one. Winston and Garza are the only other Big Ten players on this list. Cassius is such a dynamic player on the court and a kind-hearted person off of the court. Watching Winston receive praise after this difficult year is certainly heartwarming.

The Big Ten tournament kicks off tomorrow and continues all throughout the weekend. Michigan State plays a TBD opponent this upcoming Friday at 6:30 P.M. Stay with us on SpartansWire for plenty of Big Ten Tournament coverage.

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MSU Basketball stays at No. 10 in last NCAA.com’s Power 36 Ranking before Selection Sunday

Michigan State basketball closes out the season at no. 10 in the final NCAA.com Power 36 Ranking before Selection Sunday.

Michigan State basketball just beat Ohio State to earn a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship in a thrilling game. Andy Katz of NCAA.com kept MSU in the no. 10 spot for the final power-36 ranking of the year before this upcoming Selection Sunday.

You can check out his entire power-36 ranking here.

Note, there is only one Big Ten team ahead of MSU and that is Maryland. All other Big Ten teams are ranked after the Spartans. This includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Penn State.

The Spartans climbed up nearly 16 spots in just two weeks with some impressive wins in this closing stretch of the season. Looks like MSU is catching fire at the right time.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for Michigan State basketball coverage all throughout the Big Ten tournament this week and during Selection Sunday.

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MSU Basketball moves up to 3-seed in latest NCAA.com bracket prediction

Michigan State basketball is a 3-seed in the latest NCAA.com March Madness bracket prediction. Read more details here about this placement.

Andy Katz of NCAA.com’s latest March Madness bracket prediction moves Michigan State basketball up to a 3-seed. The last bracket prediction placed the Spartans as a 4-seed. After all, MSU closed out the season beating some of the best Big Ten teams in critical games.

You can check out Andy Katz’s entire bracket here.

There are a total of nine Big Ten teams in this latest March Madness bracket prediction from Andy Katz. This includes Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Maryland.

We’ll see how many Big Ten teams actually appear in the NCAA tournament. I actually think Katz is telling the truth here. The Big Ten is stacked with plenty of well-put-together rosters.

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