Michigan State’s exhibition slate has done little to settle the biggest questions around this team, and the first real test is almost here.
The sixth-ranked Spartans open the season Monday against Quinnipiac, a Metro Conference opponent and a first-time matchup for the two programs. Unlike the exhibition games against UConn and Marquette, this one counts, and it should start giving Michigan State some actual answers.
The biggest issue sits up front, where the frontcourt - especially center - has looked shaky through three exhibitions. If MSU is going to become the national title-contending team it believes it can be, that area has to come around fast.
The center situation has been especially murky. Anton Bonke started the Spartans’ first two exhibitions, against Incarnate Word and UConn, before Jesse McCulloch got the nod against Marquette.
Bonke’s role has been the odd part. Michigan State brought him in through the transfer portal expecting him to be the starter, but he played only nine total minutes in the UConn and Marquette exhibitions, and Tom Izzo never used him in the second half of either game.
“We're trying to figure out what ball screen coverages we want to use," Izzo said. "You know, one of our jobs is putting people in a position where they can be successful...
We have not gotten the ball in the post enough, because he can score down there, which we will do better. We have not done a good enough job demanding to him on what he's got to do on some of these different coverages because ball screens, Marquette ran, you know, 20 per possession.”
Ethan Taylor is part of that frontcourt puzzle too, and he has looked solid enough so far. The sense is that he’ll keep improving as his freshman season goes on. He already has the physical tools to become an elite center; what he needs now are live reps.
Michigan State also has a very different kind of question in the backcourt: who steps up behind Jeremy Fears Jr. after last season’s lack of secondary creation. Kur Teng was the Spartans’ second-leading guard last year, but Fears often had to shoulder the load by himself.
This year, the help looks like it’s coming. The question is more about who grabs the role first.
Michigan State could start freshman Jasiah Jervis and sophomore Jordan Scott on Monday, just as it did in last Sunday’s exhibition at Marquette. That lineup was one of the combinations that looked the most comfortable.
Jervis and Scott both fit the profile of breakout candidates. Scott may not be showing up on many NBA mock drafts yet, but the expectation here is that it won’t stay that way for long. Jervis has been scorching from deep and gives Michigan State the kind of crafty, shot-making two-guard it needed a year ago.
That Fears-Jervis-Scott group might end up being the best thing about this roster. In conference play, and especially in March, guard play usually decides everything. Michigan State’s guards, all three of whom appear to have NBA futures, could be as good as anyone’s.
Depth is another clear strength. The Spartans have 12 scholarship players, and all 12 have at least some chance of being part of the regular rotation. Still, a few of them are going to wind up with fewer minutes than they might get elsewhere.
Julius Avent looks like the first player on the edge of that rotation. He did not play in the UConn exhibition, though Izzo found a way to get him minutes against Marquette. Avent brings an interesting look as a bigger wing, but there may simply be too many other options at the three and four for him to play much.
For now, eleven players seems like the likeliest number Michigan State will lean on. That’s a lot to juggle over the long haul, and Izzo may eventually have to cut that down again by late February or March. Even so, right now it looks like a lock that the Spartans will play at least 10.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Handed Spartans Fans Fresh Rivalry Ammo
A close win over Rutgers was supposed to be about settling things on the field, but Kyle Whittingham managed to stir the pot afterward with a few words that will travel well beyond one Saturday night. The Michigan coach said he is very interested in being part of the Michigan State rivalry, calling it not the biggest one, but a big one, a framing that is sure to catch the attention of Spartans fans who already know how quickly this matchup can harden into talking points.
Whittinghams comments have already drawn comparisons to former Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith and his own controversial remarks about the rivalry, adding another layer to a season that has not gone smoothly for Michigan fans. With dissatisfaction growing around Whittinghams performance and the teams rocky start, the rivalry chatter is landing at a time when every word feels magnified, and it gives Spartans supporters fresh material to keep in their back pocket the next time these programs cross paths. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Gets Another Rivalry Night Test Fans Dread
Michigan States next shot at Michigan comes with the kind of late kickoff that has become its own subplot in this rivalry. The Wolverines and Spartans are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET night game next weekend in Ann Arbor, and this one will stream on Peacock instead of airing on NBC, adding another layer to a matchup that already tends to draw plenty of attention from both fan bases.
The setting only sharpens the stakes for a series that has long tilted toward Michigan, which owns the historical edge and has won the last four meetings, all under the lights. With both programs now working under new coaches, the rivalry is entering another reset point, and for Spartans fans, the timing and the venue make this one feel like a familiar test with a fresh wrinkle. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Gets A Chance To Rewrite A Painful Big Ten Ending
Michigan State will get an immediate shot at turning the page on a frustrating Big Ten finish after the conference released the bracket and schedule for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans landed the No. 4 seed in the new eight-team field and open in the quarterfinals against No. 5 seed Washington, with the tournament beginning Wednesday at Energizer Park in St. Louis.
The format adds a fresh wrinkle to the race, since the title game is set for Nov. 13 at the home site of the highest remaining seed. For Michigan State, that means the path back to the leagues biggest stage starts with a familiar kind of pressure, one that offers a chance to rewrite how this Big Ten ending looks if the Spartans can handle their opening test. [Read more 🡒]