EAST LANSING– Michigan State men’s basketball is set to host a ranked matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night at the Breslin Center.
Spartans head coach Tom Izzo is notorious for scheduling difficult non-conference opponents. Typically, these blockbuster matchups are on a neutral court, but this is the first leg of a home-and-home series between Michigan State and Arkansas.
Although Izzo and Arkansas head coach John Calipari have competed many times, this game will be their first battle in East Lansing.
“I don’t know how many times we’ve coached against each other, it’s a few, but I’ve never coached in that arena and they tell me that arena is crazy,” Calipari said.
The second season of the Calipari era in Fayetteville began with a blowout 107-79 win over Southern on Monday.
Coming off a Sweet Sixteen appearance last season, Calipari has already turned Arkansas into a premier team in the SEC and a national championship contender, which began the season ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll.
The Spartans also started their season on Monday, with a sloppy 80-69 win over the Colgate Raiders. Izzo was disappointed in his team’s output, especially at the free-throw line, where the Spartans shot 65 percent and left 13 points at the line.
MSU redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. stepped up in his increased role of lead guard, scoring 14 points and 10 assists to go along with five steals in the season-opener. Fears Jr. will have a difficult matchup against the young Razorbacks’ backcourt.
There are three constants in life are death, taxes, and Calipari coaching a highly-regarded freshman. Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. was one of seven freshmen named to the Naismith Player of the Year Watchlist.
It will also be a homecoming for Acuff Jr., who won a MHSAA State Championship at the Breslin Center two years ago with Cass Tech. The Detroit-native will have plenty of supporters in attendance on Saturday,
“I don’t know the number, but it’s too many; new people are telling me every day that they can come,” Acuff Jr. said.
The Razorbacks will rely on their depth this season. Against Southern, freshman Meleek Thomas scored 21 points and had seven assists off the bench in his college debut.
The Spartans have yet to find an explosive scorer to limit their half-court offensive woes. Which means MSU will have to capitalize on their opportunities in transition, led by Spartans forward Coen Carr, who can create instant offense on the break.
Colgate ran a very similar offense to what MSU will see from Arkansas on Saturday. Both teams want to stretch the defense on the perimeter and then use the wide driving lanes to create better shooting looks.
However, Arkansas poses an increased athletic threat, notably senior forward Trevon Brazile enters off a career-high 25-point performance on Monday. The 6-foot-10 forward can shoot as well as put the ball on the floor. It will be a tall task for Spartans senior forward Jaxon Kohler to keep Brazile in front, after Izzo called out the captain for his poor defense in the win against Colgate.
Michigan State vs Arkansas is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at the Breslin Center. Catch the radio broadcast on Impact 89FM streaming on our website: https://impact89fm.org/
Michigan State vs Arkansas is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at the Breslin Center. Catch the radio broadcast on Impact 89FM streaming on our website: https://impact89fm.org/
