Michigan State Opens Big Ten Play on Sunday Hosting Northwestern

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball opens up Big Ten Conference play on Sunday, Dec. 4, hosting Northwestern at the Breslin Center (BTN, 7 p.m.).

The game will air live on BTN, with Matt Schumacker and Stephen Bardo calling all of the action. The TCF Bank Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on channel 958 on the SiriusXM app.

About the Spartans

Michigan State enters the game on Sunday with a 5-3 overall record.
The Spartans are coming off a 70-52 loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday night in South Bend in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge … It was the fourth game in seven days for the Spartans, who faced one of the nation's toughest schedules in the country during the opening month of the season.
MSU played three ranked teams, including two in the top-5 (Gonzaga and Kentucky), and traveled to San Diego, Indianapolis, Oregon and South Bend, racking up more than 10,000 miles of travel during the team's first eight games.
MSU's opening slate also included a win at Portland in the home arena of the Pilots among its first eight games.
Per KenPom.com, Michigan State has faced the toughest slate of opposing offenses in the country, the 18th-toughest slate of opposing defenses and ranks No. 7 overall in strength of schedule.
Through eight games, senior guard Tyson Walker leads the team in scoring with 15.1 ppg, while adding 3.3 rpg and 4.3 apg.
Walker is one of four players scoring in double figures ... Graduate forward Joey Hauser is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game, shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 45.9 percent from 3-point land.
Senior forward Malik Hall is third on the team with 12.0 ppg and third with 5.3 rpg.
Junior guard A.J. Hoggard is fourth on the team with 11.5 ppg, fourth with 3.9 rpg and leads the team (and is third in the Big Ten) with 6.1 assists per game.
Three other players are averaging at least 6.8 points ... Sophomore Pierre Brooks, who has started the last four games, is averaging 7.8 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Junior forward Mady Sissoko, who scored 16 points and had eight rebounds in the win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Nov. 15, is averaging 7.5 points and is second on the team with 5.9 rebounds, while sophomore guard Jaden Akins is adding 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.

About Northwestern

Northwestern enters its Big Ten Conference opener with a 5-2 overall record.
The Wildcats are coming off an 87-58 loss at home to Pittsburgh … this will be the first game since Nov. 28.
Northwestern has four players scoring in double figures, led by senior guard Boo Buie, who tops the team with 12.9 points per game.
Three other players average between 10.1 and 12.4 points – graduate guard Chase Audige (12.4 ppg), junior guard Ty Berry (10.4) and senior forward Robbie Beran (10.1).
The Wildcats have held five opponents to fewer than 60 points this season and are second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (56.7 ppg) and lead the league in field goal percentage defense (34.5%).
Northwestern ranks 21st in the country in defensive efficiency and leads the country in opponent field goal percentage on 2-point attempts (37.6%), both per KenPom, per game.

Series History

The game on Saturday between Michigan State and Northwestern will be the 134th meeting between the schools.
MSU leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 94-39, including a 52-8 advantage at home and a 49-4 record at the Breslin Center.
The Spartans have won 13 of the last 14 games in the series and the last eight at home ... Tom Izzo is 39-5 in his career against Northwestern.

In Big Ten Conference Openers

Michigan State is 17-10 in Big Ten Conference openers under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
MSU won last year's Big Ten opener, 75-67, at Minnesota on Dec. 8, and won its first five conference games of the season.
The game on Sunday is the first time MSU opens conference play at home since 2019, when the Spartans beat Rutgers, 77-65, at the Breslin Center.
The last time the Spartans lost a Big Ten Conference home opener was during the 2014-15 season, when Maryland beat MSU, 68-66.

Michigan State Opens Big Ten Play on Sunday Hosting Northwestern

Players Mentioned

Jaden Akins

Malik Hall

Joey Hauser

A.J. Hoggard

Mady Sissoko

Tyson Walker

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