Men's Basketball Announces 2004-05 Schedule
8/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 25, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2004-05 Michigan State Basketball Schedule
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Michigan State University announced the 2004-05 men's basketball schedule on Wednesday. In addition to a demanding 16-game Big Ten schedule, Michigan State will play 11 non-conference games, featuring a mix of home games at the Breslin Center, home to 97 consecutive sellouts, an away game at one of the most difficult arenas in college basketball when the Spartans travel to Duke and neutral-site contests against postseason participants Stanford, Maryland, George Mason and George Washington. In all, MSU's slate features six teams (Duke, Illinois, Florida A&M, Maryland, Stanford, Wisconsin) that appeared in the NCAA Tournament and five (George Mason, George Washington, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue) that participated in the National Invitation Tournament. Spartan basketball will be a regular on television sets across the country as 25 of MSU's 27 regular-season games will be televised, including all 16 conference games. Of those 25 games, as many as 12 could be carried by national cable and network stations, including at least seven games on ESPN, three on CBS and one on ESPN 2. In addition, ESPN could opt to televise an additional game late in the Big Ten season (March 1 at Northwestern). Raycom will televise the BB&T Tournament on Dec. 4-5 and the remaining games will be shown by ESPN Plus as part of the regional or local package. In glancing at some early season rankings, the Spartans have assembled one of the nation's toughest schedules. Eight MSU opponents appear in ESPN.com's Andy Katz's Preseason Top 50 poll, including five non-conference opponents: Illinois - 9, Duke - 10, Maryland - 14, Wisconsin - 17, Stanford - 25, Michigan - 29, George Washington - 37 and UCLA - 44. The Spartan schedule includes five teams ranked in the Top 25 of the final 2003-04 rankings, including Duke - 1, Stanford - 7, Wisconsin - 12, Maryland - 18 and Illinois - 23. That is just one fewer than last year's schedule which was routinely called the most top-heavy schedule in America. This year's slate features an additional five teams between No. 26-100, including Michigan - 55, George Washington - 74, George Mason - 81, Iowa - 86 and Indiana - 88, for a total of 10 top 100 opponents, one fewer than in 2003-04. Michigan State opens the regular season on Nov. 19 at home against Florida A&M (8 p.m.). The Spartans have won 27 straight season openers and will be facing a Rattler squad that was a No. 16 seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament after winning the MEAC Tournament. The following week features home games against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 23 (8 p.m.) and Nicholls State on Nov. 27 (Noon). All three games will be televised by ESPN Plus Local. The Nicholls State game will likely be the 100th consecutive sellout at the Breslin Center. After three home games, the Spartans hit the road for four games. First, Michigan State will travel to Duke for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The game will mark the first time that the Spartans have played in Cameron Indoor Stadium and the first time that Duke has hosted an opponent for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. On Dec. 4-5, Michigan State will participate in the BB&T Classic at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., featuring Maryland, George Mason and George Washington. On Dec. 4, MSU will play George Washington at 3:30 p.m., while Maryland takes on George Mason. The consolation and championship games are scheduled for Dec. 5. Maryland returns four starters from a squad that won the ACC Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. George Mason and George Washington both participated in the NIT. The BB&T Classic will be syndicated and distributed by Raycom Sports. On Dec. 11, the Spartans will take on Stanford at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The game will be televised by CBS at 4 p.m. This is the second year for the Spartan Clash as Oklahoma defeated MSU in overtime last season. Stanford's new coach is Trent Johnson, who last season led Nevada to a win over Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Cardinal earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After a home game against Delaware State on Dec. 18 (ESPN Plus Local, 2 p.m.), Michigan State invites UCLA to the Breslin Center on Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Last season, the Bruins defeated the Spartans, 64-58, at Pauley Pavilion. MSU hosts UNC Asheville on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. In the 2005 Big Ten schedule, Michigan State will play Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State just once. The Spartans will travel to Iowa City and Bloomington, while hosting the Fighting Illini and the Buckeyes. As part of the new Big Ten scheduling policy, a team cannot play three consecutive conference games on the road. Michigan State will open the Big Ten season on the road at Penn State on Jan. 5 (ESPN Plus Local, 6 p.m.). The conference home opener is Jan. 8 against Northwestern (ESPN Plus Regional, 2:07 p.m.). After seven days off, the Spartans will then have to play two games in three days. First, MSU travels to Wisconsin on Jan. 16 (CBS, 1:30 or 4:30 p.m.), followed by a home game with Purdue on Jan. 18 (ESPN, 7 p.m.). On Jan. 22, MSU will play at Minnesota (ESPN Plus Regional, 4:37 p.m.), site of MSU's comeback victory from a 16-point halftime deficit in 2004. From Jan. 27-Feb. 1, Michigan State will play three home games in a span of six days, beginning with Michigan on Jan. 27 (ESPN, 7 p.m.). Two days later, MSU will step out of conference to play Oakland on Jan. 29 (2 p.m.). The stretch ends with a Feb. 1 showdown with 2004 Big Ten Conference champion Illinois (ESPN, 7 p.m.) in the only regular-season meeting between two of the teams expected to contend for the 2005 title. Michigan State travels to Iowa on Feb. 5 (ESPN Plus Regional, 2:32 p.m.), followed by a home game against Ohio State on Feb. 9 (ESPN Plus Local, 8 p.m.). On Feb. 12, the Spartans play at Michigan (ESPN, 4 p.m.). MSU plays host to Minnesota on Feb. 16 (ESPN Plus Local, 7 p.m.), followed by a Feb. 19 contest at Purdue (ESPN, Noon). Feb. 24 brings Wisconsin to the Breslin Center (ESPN, 7 p.m.). Next up is MSU's only two-game road trip of the Big Ten season. In the 14th game of the Big Ten schedule, the Spartans will play Indiana for the only time all season. The game at Assembly Hall will be played on Feb. 27 (CBS, Noon). Michigan State will then play at Northwestern. The game could be televised by ESPN (9 p.m.) if played on March 1 or ESPN Plus Local (8 p.m.) if played on March 2. The regular season concludes on March 5 as the Spartans host Penn State (ESPN Plus Local, 8 p.m.). The 2005 Big Ten Tournament will be played March 10-13 at Chicago's United Center.
