No. 8 Michigan St survives scare, beats Detroit Mercy 83-76
Rocket Watts scored a career-high 23 points and No. 8 Michigan State started out flat against Detroit Mercy but avoided a huge upset, winning 83-76 on Friday night.
2021 ScheduleAll times ET
2021 Schedule
4-0, 1st in Big Ten
Michigan State's Julius Marble throws down transition dunk (0:20)
Gabe Brown's 3 forces Detroit Mercy timeout (0:18)
Spartans' Gabe Brown comes up with huge block (0:18)
A.J. Hoggard draws contact for and-1 finish for Spartans (0:22)
Dwayne Rose comes up with monster block vs. Michigan State (0:15)
Breaking down this season's BPI projections and why Gonzaga is not the favorite
Gonzaga has impressed early in the 2020-21 season, but BPI still favors four teams ahead of the Zags, including Villanova, to take home the NCAA tournament title.
Izzo: No asterisk on first win at Cameron Indoor
Tom Izzo coached Michigan State to its first-ever win at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night, and even the lack of fans couldn't take away from the moment. "I know one thing: I'm not gonna put this as an asterisk," Izzo said.
Watts scores 20, No. 8 Michigan State beats No. 6 Duke 75-69
— Rocket Watts scored 20 points and Julius Marble had a career-high 12 to help No. 8 Michigan State beat No. 6 Duke 75-69 on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic.
Marble thunders a dunk for MSU (0:23)
MSU's Watts rockets through the lane (0:18)
MSU's Malik Hall hits the deck hard after dunk (0:25)
Biggest questions for Kentucky, Jalen Suggs' stardom and a Champions Classic preview
Slow starts with new faces have not been unusual for Kentucky, but John Calipari has some unique questions to answer with this group of Wildcats.
Courtside: The guys look back at an exciting first week of college basketball
Greenberg and Dakich tip off the podcast discussing the first week of college basketball, including Richmond upsetting Kentucky, Clemson taking out Purdue and Mississippi State, Memphis’ volume shooter problem, where things stand with Virginia after losing to San Francisco, Gonzaga playing at another level, Michigan State’s versatility, Dakich’s love affair with Derek Culver, the A10, and why there’s no need to be concerned with Villanova.
No. 13 Michigan State coasts to 80-70 win over Notre Dame
— Aaron Henry had 14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three assists to help No. 13 Michigan State beat Notre Dame 80-70 on Saturday night.
A Langford to Loyer bucket gets the bench on their feet (0:20)
Gabe Brown throws down back-to-back oops (0:26)
Loyer, Hauser lead Michigan State to victory in season opener (2:22)
No. 13 Michigan State opens with 83-67 win over E. Michigan
— Foster Loyer made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 20 points to lead No. 13 Michigan State in an 83-67 win over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night at the...
McGee: A long overdue welcome back to you, college basketball
College basketball was one of the first sports canceled in March. Since then, the sport and its players have seen nearly every league at every level return. Now, it's finally time for college basketball's return.
Courtside: The guys look ahead to the first week of college hoops, preview the Big Ten and Pac-12, and talk to Rutgers' Steve Pikiell
Greenberg and Dakich tip off the podcast discussing the silliness of Bruce Pearl’s self-imposed sanctions, if the NCAA will close its investigation of LSU this season, why it’s not a big deal if games are being canceled and which matchups they’re excited to watch the first week of the season. Later, the guys preview the Big Ten and Pac-12 (18:45). And finally, they talk to Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell (43:33).
Izzo returns to coach Michigan St. after isolating
After a positive COVID-19 test and isolating at home, Tom Izzo resumed leading his Michigan State team Monday.
2020-21 Big Ten Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Michigan State | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Minnesota | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Iowa | 0-0 | - | 3-0 |
| Michigan | 0-0 | - | 3-0 |
| Rutgers | 0-0 | - | 3-0 |
| Ohio State | 0-0 | - | 3-0 |
| Penn State | 0-0 | - | 2-0 |
| Northwestern | 0-0 | - | 1-0 |
| Illinois | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Indiana | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Nebraska | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Purdue | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Wisconsin | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
Top Performers 2020-21
- Offense
- Defense
Team Stats
Points Per Game80.387th
Rebounds Per Game42.853rd
Assists Per Game19.5Tied-28th
Points Allowed70.5
2021 Polls & Rankings
| AP | COACHES |
|---|---|
| 8 | 12 |
2021 Recruits
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Christie | SG | Signed | 91 |
| Pierre Brooks | SF | Signed | 83 |
| Jaden Akins | PG | Signed | 83 |
Tournament History
| Final Fours | 9 |
| Tournament Record | 64-30 |
| Championship Seasons | 1979, 2000 |
| Tournament Appearances | 31 |