Spartan Men's Basketball Announces 2002-03 Schedule
8/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 14, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2002-03 Men's Basketball Schedule
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Michigan State University announced the schedule for the 2002-03 men's basketball season on Wednesday. Once again, the Spartans will feature one of the most-difficult schedules in the nation. Among the 16 regular-season games at the Breslin Center, site of 67 consecutive sellouts, MSU will play host to Syracuse and Virginia, and 2002 Big Ten Champions Ohio State, Illinois and Indiana. The Spartans will also feature a challenging road schedule with road games against Kentucky and Oklahoma, a Thanksgiving trip to Alaska for the Great Alaska Shootout and Big Ten contests at 2002 conference champions Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio State.
In all, MSU's slate features seven teams (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Wisconsin) that appeared in the NCAA Tournament and five (Iowa, Minnesota, South Florida, Syracuse and Virginia) that appeared in the National Invitation Tournament. In addition, MSU could face 2002 postseason participants Oklahoma State (NCAA), Villanova (NIT) and Wyoming (NCAA) in the Great Alaska Shootout, boosting the total number of postseason participants on Michigan State's schedule to 15.
"There is no doubt that competition makes you better," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "For the last four or five years, we have made a commitment to put together a great schedule. Last year, I might have second guessed myself in January, but the way we ran off eight of our last 10 games in the regular season shows the difference a tough early season schedule can make.
"Every team handles wins and losses differently. I'm hoping our leadership is better this season so that it can get us through a difficult schedule. We are still going to have a young team, playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores. I am looking for our older players to educate our younger players about what it takes to win against top-notch competition."
Spartan fans across the country will have many chances to watch MSU as possibly as many as 23 games could be televised during the regular season. Of those 23, 17 could be carried by national cable and network stations, including eight games on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and five on CBS. This number of games is dependent on Michigan State winning its first two games in Alaska, in which case ESPN2 would carry its second and third games of the tournament. It also includes CBS opting to show the Michigan State-Ohio State contest on March 9. CBS could also opt to televise Minnesota at Illinois or Indiana at Penn State on that date. The remaining televised games will be shown by ESPN Plus as part of the regional or local package.
"Having 17 games on national networks is incredible," added Izzo. "I think it tells you a little bit about our program and where it's at. To have that many games on television is not only great for our fans, but it's great for our alumni and our program. But maybe more important, it's great for the university as a front porch for people to see what Michigan State is all about."
The Spartans will tip-off the season with the Green-White Game on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m. With the MSU football team scheduled to take on Minnesota at 12:10 p.m. on Homecoming Weekend, the Green-White Game will provide MSU alumni an early peak at the exciting 2002-03 Spartans.
Prior to beginning the regular season, the Spartans will play a pair of exhibition contests. On Friday, Nov. 1, the night before the MSU football game at Michigan, Michigan State will take on the Magic Johnson All-Stars for the second-straight season. The second exhibition contest will be Thursday, Nov. 14 against Nike Elite.
Michigan State will open the regular season against UNC Asheville on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. The Spartans will then spend the Thanksgiving weekend in Alaska for the 2002 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout. In its first game of the tournament on Thursday, Nov. 28, MSU will face Montana at 12 midnight on ESPN. On Friday, Nov. 29, the Spartans will play either Loyola Marymount or Villanova. Saturday's final game on Nov. 30 will be against one of the four following teams: Alaska Anchorage, College Of Charleston, Oklahoma State or Wyoming. Should MSU reach the final game, its semifinal and final games would be broadcast on ESPN2.
MSU will return to East Lansing for a pair of home games. First, the Spartans will face Virginia on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the fourth-annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on ESPN at 9 p.m. The game will be a rematch of last year's game at Richmond, Va., that had to be cancelled due to unplayable wet floor conditions. Next, MSU will host Cleveland State on Sunday, Dec. 8.
After a one-year absence, seven-time NCAA Champion Kentucky returns to the Michigan State schedule, when the Spartans travel to Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 14, to take on the Wildcats. The game will be broadcast on CBS with a 4 p.m. tip-off. It will be the 20th meeting between the two schools, with the teams most recently splitting a home-and-home series during the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, with the home team winning both games. One year before that, MSU defeated UK, 73-66, in the 1999 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four.
Following the Kentucky contest, Michigan State will host four straight home games in late December. On Tuesday, Dec. 17, Michigan State will host Loyola (Ill.) at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday, Dec. 21 contest vs. South Florida at 1 p.m. After a week off, the Spartans host Jacksonville State on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. and Toledo on Monday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.
Before the start of the Big Ten season, MSU will make one last non-conference road trip, venturing to Oklahoma City, Okla., on Jan. 4 to take on 2002 Final Four participant, Oklahoma, in a neutral-site contest. Last year, the Sooners travelled to East Lansing, with the Spartans taking a 67-55 victory in the second round of the Preseason NIT. It proved to be OU's only regular-season non-conference loss of the year.
Michigan State opens the Big Ten season at home against Ohio State on Thursday, Jan. 9 (7:00 p.m.) in a nationally televised game on ESPN2. The Spartans then hit the road for four of their next five, including three in a row. First, MSU travels to Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 11 (2:34 p.m., ESPN Plus Regional), followed by road trips to Purdue on Tuesday, Jan. 14 (7:00 p.m., ESPN) and Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 18 (2:00 p.m., ESPN2). A home game against Penn State on Wednesday, Jan. 22 (6:00 p.m., ESPN Plus Local) sets the stage for a Sunday afternoon 1:00 p.m. CBS battle at Michigan in a Super Bowl Sunday showdown (Jan. 26).
Up next is a pair of key home games against Big Ten powers Indiana, on Tuesday, Jan. 28 (7:00 p.m., ESPN), and Illinois, on Sunday, Feb. 2 (1:00 p.m., CBS). A rematch with the Hoosiers follows on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN. MSU travels to Wisconsin on Tuesday, Feb. 11 (7:00 p.m., ESPN) in the only meeting of the year between the Badgers and Spartans.
Northwestern journeys to East Lansing on Saturday, Feb. 15 (3:01 p.m., ESPN Plus Regional) for the only matchup between the two squads. A crucial road test follows as the Spartans face Illinois in Champaign on Tuesday, Feb. 18 (7:00 p.m., ESPN).
The final game of the non-conference schedule will be Sunday, Feb. 23, when Syracuse makes the trip to East Lansing. The game will be nationally-televised by CBS and tip-off at 2 p.m. This will mark the first non-conference game in the middle of the Big Ten season for MSU since it defeated Connecticut, 85-66, on Feb. 5, 2000. The Spartans and Orangemen met last season in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT with Syracuse taking a 69-58 victory.
After the Syracuse matchup, MSU has three straight Big Ten home games, including games with Minnesota on Wednesday, Feb. 26 (7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus Local), Purdue on Saturday, March 1 (2:34 p.m., ESPN Plus Regional) and Iowa on Wednesday, March 5 (8:00 p.m., ESPN Plus Local). The regular season concludes with a road game at Ohio State. The game will be played on Saturday, March 8 (12:17 p.m.) if televised by ESPN Plus Regional or on Sunday, March 9 (2 p.m.) if broadcast on CBS.
The postseason begins with the 2003 Big Ten Tournament, March 13-16 in Chicago. The 2003 NCAA Tournament begins on March 20, with the 2003 Final Four being held April 5 & 7 in New Orleans.
