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2020–21 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

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2020–21 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record8–7 (2–7 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachDwayne Stephens (18th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBreslin Center
Seasons
2020–21 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Michigan 14 – 3   .824 23 – 5   .821
No. 2 Illinois † 16 – 4   .800 24 – 7   .774
No. 8 Iowa 14 – 6   .700 22 – 9   .710
No. 20 Purdue 13 – 6   .684 18 – 10   .643
No. 7 Ohio State 12 – 8   .600 21 – 10   .677
Wisconsin 10 – 10   .500 18 – 13   .581
Rutgers 10 – 10   .500 16 – 12   .571
Maryland 9 – 11   .450 17 – 14   .548
Michigan State 9 – 11   .450 15 – 13   .536
Indiana 7 – 12   .368 12 – 15   .444
Penn State 7 – 12   .368 11 – 14   .440
Northwestern 6 – 13   .316 9 – 15   .375
Minnesota 6 – 14   .300 14 – 15   .483
Nebraska 3 – 16   .158 7 – 20   .259
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans are led by 26th-year head coach Tom Izzo and play their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference.

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2019–20 season 22–9, 14–6 in Big Ten play to earn a share of their third straight Big Ten regular season championship.[1] Their season ended following the cancellation of postseason tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic.[2]

COVID-19 issues

On November 9, it was announced that Tom Izzo had tested positive for COVID-19 and would quarantine for 14 days.[3][4] Izzo returned to the team on November 23.[5]

On January 13, 2021, the school announced that Izzo's son, walk-on Stephen Izzo had tested positive for the virus. Freshman center Maddy Sissoko also tested positive for the virus. Both players would be required to quarantine and sit out for 17 days.[6] That same day, a third player tested positive for Michigan State leading to the postponement of the Iowa game on January 14.[7] The next day the school postponed its January 17 game against Indiana.[8] On January 18, the school announced that three more members of the MSU program, including walk-on Davis Smith, had tested positive the day before and that the game against Illinois on January 23 would also be postponed.[9]

Shortly before returning to play on January 28, the school announced that Gabe Brown and assistant coach Dane Fife had tested positive and would miss further time due to COVID-19 protocols.[10]

Offseason

Departures

MSU lost consensus All-American point guard and all-time Big Ten leader in assists, Cassius Winston to graduation. Winston scored 1,969 points and dished out 890 assists in his four-year career at MSU. Winston was picked with the 53rd overall pick in the NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.[11] He was then traded to the Washington Wizards.[12]

Reserve guard Kyle Ahrens and forward Conner George also graduated from MSU.

Junior forward Xavier Tillman announced on March 24, 2020 that he would explore the NBA draft process, but would not sign with an agent, leaving the possibility he could return to play in the 2020–21 season.[13] On August 2, Tillman announced he would stay in the NBA draft, thereby ending his collegiate career.[14] Tillman was selected with the 35th overall pick in the NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.[15] He was then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.[16]

Sophomore guard Aaron Henry announced he would enter the NBA draft as well, but would also leave open the ability to return to school.[17] Also on August 2, Henry announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft and would return to Michigan State.[18]

Walk-on red-shirt junior center Braden Burke entered his name in the transfer portal on April 10[19] and announced he was transferring to Central Michigan on April 25.[20]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Kyle Ahrens 0 G 6'6" 210 RS SR Versailles, OH Graduated
Braden Burke 40 C 6'11" 235 RS Jr Stevensville, MI Transferred to Central Michigan
Conner George 41 F 6'4" 200 SR Okemos, MI Graduated
Xavier Tillman 23 F 6'8" 245 JR Grand Rapids, MI NBA draft
Cassius Winston 5 G 6'1" 185 SR Detroit, MI Graduated/NBA draft

Recruiting classes

2020 recruiting class

On April 2, 2019, days after the Spartans advanced to the Final Four, four-start point guard Jalen Terry announced he would sign to play with the Spartans in 2020.[21] However, on October 15, Terry announced he would reopen his recruiting and decommitted from MSU.[22] On September 9, four-star center Maddy Sissoko committed to MSU.[23] On October 6, four-star point guard A.J. Hoggard announced he intended to play with MSU in 2020.[24]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
A.J. Hoggard
PG 		Coatesville, PA Huntington Prep 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 83
Maddy Sissoko
C 		Mount Pleasant, UT Wasatch Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 9, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

2021 recruiting class

On April 22, 2020, four-star shooting guard Pierre Brooks announced he would play for Michigan State in 2021.[25] On July 7, 2020, Max Christie, the No. 1-ranked shooting guard in Illinois and ranked No. 13 overall nationally, announced he would also play for the Spartans in 2021.[26][27] On August 13, 2020, Jaden Akins, a four-start point guard and the No. 70 overall player in the 2021 class, committed to MSU.[28][29]

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaden Akins
PG 		Farmington, MI Farmington High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) August 13, 2020 (verbal) 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 83
Pierre Brooks
SG 		Detroit, MI Douglass Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) April 22, 2020 (verbal) 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 83
Max Christie
SG 		Rolling Meadows, IL Rolling Meadows High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 1,655 lb (751 kg) July 7, 2020 (verbal) 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

2022 recruiting class

On June 29, 2020, the number one-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class, small forward Emoni Bates, announced that if he plays college basketball in 2022, he would play for Michigan State.[30][31] By doing so, Bates became the highest rated recruit to commit to Michigan State in the modern recruiting era.[32] One month later, five-star center Enoch Boakye committed to MSU for 2022.[33] Boakye was the 18th ranked player in the 2022 class.[34]

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Emoni Bates
SF 		Ypsilanti, MI Lincoln High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) June 29, 2020 (verbal) 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN grade: 98
Enoch Boakye
C 		Mississauga, Ontario George Harris Prep 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (110 kg) July 28, 2020 (verbal) 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Early offseason rankings

In April 2020, most early pollsters listed Michigan State as a preseason top-15 team for the 2020–21 season. These included ESPN (No. 8),[35] Sports Illustrated (No. 11),[36] Yahoo! Sports (No. 13),[37] USA Today (No. 19),[38] NBC Sports (No. 5),[39] and CBS Sports (No. 12).[40]

Incoming transfers

On May 28, 2019, Marquette forward Joey Hauser announced he would transfer to MSU. Due to NCAA transfer rules, Hauser had to sit out the 2019–20 season, but will have at least two years of eligibility left beginning in the 2020–21 season.[41]

Preseason

Preseason rankings

MSU was ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP Poll.[42] The Spartans were ranked 12th in the preseason Coaches Poll.[43]

Preseason Big Ten polls

Aaron Henry was the lone Spartan representative on the preseason Big Ten poll chosen by a panel of conference media members.[44]

CBS Sports picked MSU to finish fourth in the conference.[45]

Prior to the start of the season, unofficial awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of 28 writers, two for each team in the conference. Michigan State was picked to finish in fourth.[46]

Injuries

On November 9, 2020, Tom Izzo announced that freshman AJ Hoggard underwent knee surgery, but was not expected to miss any games.[47]

Regular season

Non-conference games

Eastern Michigan

MSU began their 2020–21 season on November 25 at home in front of no fans at the Breslin Center against Eastern Michigan. Foster Loyer got the start for the Spartans and scored a career-high 20 points on six three-pointers. The Eagles kept it close throughout the first half, but the Spartans pulled away for a 16 point advantage at half time. The Eagles never threated again as MSU held on for the 83–67 win. Joey Hauser scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Josh Langford, in his first gameplay in almost two years, added 10 points on two of seven shooting from three.[48] The win gave the Spartans a 1–0 record to begin the season.

Notre Dame

Two days after Thanksgiving, MSU welcomed Notre Dame to Breslin. In a similar story to the EMU game, Notre Dame kept the game close before MSU closed the first half on a 17–0 run to take a 13-point halftime lead. MSU kept up the strong defense in the second half, scoring the first nine points in the half to push the lead to 22 points over the Fighting Irish. Aaron Henry led the Spartans with 14 points and added three assists. Joey Hauser notched 16 rebounds and 10 points as MSU pushed the lead to nearly 30 before relaxing and substituting heavily. Rocket Watts also played well, scoring 13 points and handing out a game-high six assists as the Spartans won 80–70.[49] The win pushed MSU to 2–0 on the young season.

Duke

As part of the re-worked Champions Classic, MSU traveled to Duke to face the Blue Devils on December 1. Once again, MSU trailed early falling behind by 10 points in the first 10 minutes. However, the Spartans again turned up the defensive pressure and the offense came alive, led by Julius Marble who scored a career-high 12 points in 12 minutes of action. The Spartans went to the half leading by four and pushed the lead to as many as 16 in the second half as Aaron Henry scored 14 points and notched five assists while Rocket Watts scored 20. Malik Hall and Joey Hauser each had a double-double as the Spartans won easily 75–69. The win marked MSU's first-ever victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium and was only the third time an Izzo-led squad defeated Duke. The win moved MSU to 3–0 on the season.[50]

Detroit Mercy

The Spartans returned home to play Detroit Mercy for the first time since 1997 on December 4. Despite being a heavy favorite, the Spartans could never pull away from the Titans and the game was tied at 35 at the half. Rocket Watts took over in the second half, scoring a team-high 23, many of which came late in the game as the Spartans were able to hold off Detroit Mercy for the 83–76 win. Gabe Brown started in the place of Josh Langford who sat out the game due to a sore knee which Tom Izzo said was a mere precaution. Brown scored 16 points while Aaron Henry added 12 points.[51] The win moved MSU to 4–0 on the season.

Western Michigan

Two days later, Western Michigan came to Breslin for their Second game of the season after spending a week off due to COVID-19 cancellations. The Broncos also gave the Spartans hard time, keeping the game within 10 points until less than 10 minutes remained. Joey Hauser notched a career-high 24 points on six of 10 shooting from three. Gabe Brown again got the start, this time starting in place of Aaron Henry who had arrived late to a film session earlier. The Spartans were finally able to take control of the game in the final 10 minutes, winning by 18, 79–61.[52] The win moved the Spartans to 5–0 on the season.

Oakland

After traveling to Virginia for a game that was postponed the night before it was scheduled to take place, the Spartans returned home without playing a game.[53] On December 13, the No. 4-ranked Spartans returned to play against Oakland whom the Spartans were 18–0 all-time against. The Spartans started well, taking an early lead, but could not put much distance between themselves and the Golden Grizzlies. MSU led by only four at the half and struggled defensively throughout, eventually allowing Oakland to score 91 points. MSU did pull away early in the second half with a 13–0 run and outscored Oakland by 14 in the half. Led by Gabe Brown's career-high 20 points, Aaron Henry added 15 points while seven Spartans scored in double figures. The 109–91 win moved MSU to 6–0 on the season.[54]

Conference games

Northwestern

After a week off for finals, the Spartans opened Big Ten play with a trip to Northwestern. MSU, as it had done the majority of the season, quickly fell behind to the Wildcats. Having last lost to Northwestern in 2012, the Spartans trailed by 13 at the half. MSU's defense struggled mightily, allowing Northwestern to shoot 52.9% from the field and 47.6% from three. Meanwhile, the Spartan offense was even worse. MSU made only eight of 31 three-point attempts and shot under 39% from the field in the game. Northwestern pushed their lead to as many as 21 in the second half and answered every push MSU made, keeping MSU trailing by double digits through most of the second half. Aaron Henry led the Spartans with 11 points while Gabe Brown added 10. However, Rocket Watts and Joey Hauser could only manage five points each. As a result, MSU lost 79–65, marking their first loss on the season and dropping them to 6–1 and 0–1 in conference play.[55] Tom Izzo commented, "That was one of the more inept performances of my 26 years."[56]

Wisconsin

After dropping to No. 12 in the polls, the Spartans returned home to faced No. 9-ranked Wisconsin. The game stayed close throughout the first half as both offenses played well, scoring 42 points each in the first half. In the second half, the Spartans took a nine-point lead and looked to pull away, but the Badgers quickly rallied. MSU made eight of 11 three-pointers in the game including three for Joey Hauser, but their defense continued to struggle. MSU allowed the Badgers to shoot over 50% from the field as Wisconsin retook the lead and pulled away for a nine-point victory, 85–76. Hauser scored 27 points for MSU while Henry scored 12, but no other Spartan managed more than eight points in the second straight loss.[57] The loss moved the Spartans to 6–2 on the season and 0–2 in conference play.

Minnesota

The Spartans went on the road to face Minnesota on December 28. Minnesota took an early lead and did not look back, blowing out the Spartans 81–56. MSU struggled mightily on offense, managing only 16 points in the first half and shooting 25% from the field in the game. Aaron Henry did not start the game because Tom Izzo chose to start Josh Langford after Rocket Watts asked Izzo to not play point guard.[58] Henry did lead the Spartans in scoring with 11 points while no other Spartans scored in double figures. Joey Hauser, coming off a career-high 27 points against Wisconsin, managed only six points on 1–8 shooting. The loss dropped the Spartans to 6–3 overall and 0–3 in Big ten play for the first time since 2002. The win was the largest margin of victory for Minnesota over MSU ever.[59]

Nebraska

The Spartans next traveled to Nebraska on January 2. The Spartans offense recovered well with AJ Hoggard making his first career start and Rocket Watts coming off the bench. The Spartans scored 40 points in the first half against the Cornhuskers, but could not put them away, allowing Nebraska to shoot 49% from the field. The Spartans took a lead as big as 18 in the second half, but Nebraska prevented the Spartans from turning the game into a rout. Aaron Henry scored a career-high 27 points for MSU while Joshua Langford added 15 and Gabe Brown scored 10. Joey Hauser struggled, scoring only five points in 20 minutes while Watts scored nine in just 15 minutes. Watts was in the game late as the point guard to protect the lead. The Spartans pulled out a narrow 84–77 win to notch their first Big Ten win on the season.[60] They moved to 7–3 overall with the win.

Rutgers

The Spartans, having dropped to a No. 23 ranking, returned home to face No. 15 Rutgers. MSU jumped out to an early 11–4 lead and led throughout. Aaron Henry again led the Spartans in scoring with 20 points, but MSU only led by six at the half. However, MSU's defense stifled the Scarlet Knights holding them to 30.5% shooting in the game and 25% from three. Joshua Langford and Rocket Watts added 11 points each as MSU blew out Rutgers 68–45. The Knights shot an abysmal six of 17 from the free throw line while the Spartans made 16 of 19 from the line. Joey Hauser added nine points and 14 rebounds as MSU outrebounded the Knights by 20. The win moved MSU to 8–3 on the season and 2–3 in conference play.[61]

Purdue

The Spartans next faced Purdue on January 8. MSU started well despite being much smaller than Purdue's frontline players, Tom Izzo played Julius Marble, Maddy Sissoko, and Marcus Bingham significant minutes in the first half. MSU's big men limited Purdue's offensive punch in the half as the Spartans limited the Boilermakers to 26% shooting in the first half while the Spartans shot over 52% from the field. As a result, the Spartans led by 15 at the half. In what looked like would be an easy win, Izzo confusingly did not play Marble, Sissoko, or Bingham in the second half while Purdue's big man Trevion Williams ended with 26 points, 22 of them in the second half. MSU still held on to the lead with less than a minute remaining, but missed free throws by Aaron Henry, AJ Hoggard, and Rocket Watts left the door open for Williams who sank the go-ahead shot with 4.5 seconds left. Henry's rush down the court and ensuing shot rimmed off as MSU lost 55–54. The loss, after leading by as many as 17 was "[o]ne of the more disappointing losses" according to Izzo.[62] The loss dropped MSU to 2–4 in conference and 8–4 overall and resulted in the Spartans falling from the rankings.

Rutgers

Twenty days later, following a two-week pause and the postponement of three games due to COVID-19 issues within the MSU program, the Spartans finally returned to the Court with a visit to Rutgers. After only being able to practice a few days together, the Spartans fell behind early to Rutgers 15–0. MSU rallied to pull with three at 22–19, but the Knights held a 26–20 lead at the half. MSU fell apart in the second half, managing to score only 17 points while surrendering 41 points by Rutgers as the Spartans were blown out 67–37. No Spartan scored in double figures. Aaron Henry scored seven on three of 10 shooting as the Spartans shot 28.6% from the field and 20% from three. The game marked the first time MSU had lost to Rutgers ever.[63] The loss dropped MSU to 2–5 in conference and 8–5 overall. Gabe Brown did not play in the game as he had recently tested positive for COVID-19.[10] Assistant coach Dane Fife also tested positive and missed the game.[64]

Ohio State

With their chances at making the NCAA Tournament dwindling, MSU traveled to face Ohio State on January 31. MSU again struggled defensively, allowing the Buckeyes to shoot over 45% from the field. And, once again, MSU struggled offensively, shooting just 20% from three and 32% from the field. Despite a decent first half performance, they still trailed by 12 at the half. Joshua Langford led the Spartans with 14 points while Joey Hauser added 11. MSU was simply overwhelmed by OSU and lost 79–62 further putting at risk their 22-game NCAA Tournament streak.[65] The loss left MSU at 8–6 overall and 2–6 in conference play.

Iowa

Nearing desperation as the Spartans' chances for the NCAA Tournament continued to weaken, MSU traveled to Iowa on February 2. MSU jumped out to an early lead, leading by as many as 12 in the first half and hitting their first six three-pointers. Foster Loyer got the start at point guard for the Spartans and Aaron Henry paced the Spartans, scoring 24 points. Iowa, with National Player of the Year candidate Luka Garza, rebounded to take the lead later in the first half. MSU trailed by five at halftime despite playing their best basketball in some time. The Hawkeyes looked to run away with the game in the second half, leading by 12 on several occasions before MSU tied it at 62. MSU again trailed 78–70 with about two minutes left in the game, but the Spartans scored eight of the next nine points to narrow the lead to two with less than 30 seconds remaining. However, Joshua Langford missed a mid-range shot on the next possession and Iowa iced the game with free throws.[66] The 84–78 loss showed that the Spartans had not given up on the season. Tom Izzo was unhappy with officiating as the Hawkeyes shot 35 free throws to MSU's 15.[67] The loss dropped the Spartans to 8–7 overall and 2–7 in Big Ten play, their worst start in conference since 1970.

Roster

Following Xavier Tillman's decision to enter the 2020 NBA draft, Jack Hoiberg was given the team's last remaining scholarship.[68] On September 3, 2020, the school released the official roster showing a new walk-on on the team, Davis Smith, son of former Spartan star Steve Smith.[69]

2020–21 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 30 Marcus Bingham 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Catholic Central HS Grand Rapids, MI
F 44 Gabe Brown 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Belleville HS Belleville, MI
F 25 Malik Hall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Naperville, IL
F 20 Joey Hauser 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Marquette
Stevens Point HS 		Stevens Point, WI
F 0 Aaron Henry (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Ben Davis HS Indianapolis, IN
G 11 AJ Hoggard 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Coatesville, PA
G 10 Jack Hoiberg 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS Jr Hinsdale Central Burr Ridge, IL
G 13 Steven Izzo (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 150 lb (68 kg) So Lansing Catholic East Lansing, MI
F 15 Thomas Kithier 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Dakota HS Macomb, MI
G 1 Joshua Langford (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Sr Madison Academy Madison, AL
G 3 Foster Loyer (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Clarkston HS Clarkston, MI
F 34 Julius Marble 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Jesuit HS Keller, TX
C 22 Mady Sissoko 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Wasatch Academy Bafoulabe, Mali
G 14 Davis Smith (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Westminster Atlanta, GA
G 2 Rocket Watts 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So SPIRE Institute Detroit, MI
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Marcus Bingham Thomas Kithier Maddy Sissoko
PF Joey Hauser Malik Hall Julius Marble
SF Aaron Henry
SG Josh Langford
PG Foster Loyer Rocket Watts AJ Hoggard

Schedule and results

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the start of the season was pushed back from the scheduled start of November 10.[70] On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that November 25 would be the new start date.[71] Matchups for ACC–Big Ten Challenge were released on October 30.[72] The Champions Classic, which was originally to be held on November 10, was later moved to December 1 and was to be held in Orlando. However, due to disagreements between ESPN, who was staging the event (and others), over health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, the event was canceled. It was hoped that the event could be still held elsewhere. Additionally, the Orlando Invitational tournament, also to be held in Orlando by ESPN, was canceled.[73] It was later reported that the Spartans would play their Champions Classic game at Duke while Kentucky and Kansas will play in Indianapolis due to conflicting COVID-19 protocols by the respective schools.[74]

On December 8, one day before they were scheduled to play, Virginia announced it was postponing its ACC–Big Ten Challenge game with the Spartans due to COVID-19 issues at Virginia.[75] On January 12, 2021, it was announced that the game against Iowa on January 13 would be postponed due to at least three positive COVID-19 tests at Michigan State.[76] The next day, the school announced that the game against Indiana on January 17 would also be postponed.[77] On January 18, Tom Izzo announced that the game against Illinois on January 23 would also be postponed due to further positive COVID-19 tests in the MSU program.[78]

On January 25, it was announced that the game against Michigan on February 6 would be postponed due to an outbreak at Michigan of a COVID-19 variant.[79]

The Iowa game was rescheduled for February 2.[80] As a result and due to COVID-19 issues at Nebraska, the Nebraska game scheduled for February 3 was moved to February 6 to replace the postposed Michigan game.[81]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 25, 2020*
6:00 pm, BTN 		No. 13 Eastern Michigan W 83–67  1–0
  20 – Loyer   9 – Hauser   7 – Henry  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
November 28, 2020*
8:00 pm, BTN 		No. 13 Notre Dame W 80–70  2–0
  14 – Henry   16 – Hauser   6 – Watts  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
December 1, 2020*
7:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 8 at No. 6 Duke
Champions Classic 		W 75–69  3–0
  20 – Watts   10 – Hauser   5 – Henry  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
December 4, 2020*
5:00 pm, BTN 		No. 8 Detroit Mercy W 83–76  4–0
  23 – Watts   10 – Henry   4 – Watts  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
December 6, 2020*
6:00 pm, BTN 		No. 8 Western Michigan W 79–61  5–0
  24 – Hauser   10 – Hauser   6 – Watts  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
December 9, 2020*
9:15 pm, ESPN 		No. 4 at No. 18 Virginia
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		Game postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Virgina[75] John Paul Jones Arena 
Charlottesville, VA
December 13, 2020*
12:00 pm, FS1 		No. 4 Oakland W 109–91  6–0
  20 – Brown   10 – Hauser   7 – Loyer  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten regular season
December 20, 2020
7:00 pm, BTN 		No. 4 at Northwestern L 65–79  6–1
(0–1) 		 11 – Henry   9 – Hall   4 – Watts  Welsh-Ryan Arena (0)
Evanston, IL
December 25, 2020
12:30 pm, FOX 		No. 12 No. 9 Wisconsin
Christmas 		L 76–85  6–2
(0–2) 		 27 – Hauser   7 – Hauser   7 – Watts  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
December 28, 2020
8:00 pm, BTN 		No. 17 at No. 21 Minnesota L 56–81  6–3
(0–3) 		 11 – Henry   7 – Kithier   3 – Henry  Williams Arena (0)
Minneapolis, MN
January 2, 2021
8:00 pm, BTN 		No. 17 at Nebraska W 84–77  7–3
(1–3) 		 27 – Henry   8 – Hall   5 – Hoggard  Pinnacle Bank Arena (0)
Lincoln, NE
January 5, 2021
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 23 No. 15 Rutgers W 68–45  8–3
(2–3) 		 20 – Henry   14 – Hauser   6 – Hoggard  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
January 8, 2021
7:00 pm, FS1 		No. 23 Purdue L 54–55  8–4
(2–4) 		 13 – Henry   7 – Henry   4 – Hoggard  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
January 14, 2021
9:00 pm, FS1 		at No. 5 Iowa Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan State.[76] Rescheduled to February 2.[80] Carver-Hawkeye Arena 
Iowa City, IA
January 17, 2021
12:00 pm, CBS 		Indiana Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan State[77] Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
January 23, 2021
12:00 pm, FOX 		No. 22 Illinois Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan State[78] Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
January 28, 2021
7:00 pm, FS1 		at Rutgers L 37–67  8–5
(2–5) 		 7 – Henry   7 – Bingham Jr.   2 – Tied  Rutgers Athletic Center (0)
Piscataway, NJ
January 31, 2021
1:00 pm, CBS 		at No. 13 Ohio State L 62–79  8–6
(2–6) 		 14 – Langford   7 – Henry   3 – Henry  Value City Arena (0)
Columbus, OH
February 2, 2021
7:00 pm, FS1 		at No. 8 Iowa L 78–84  8–7
(2–7) 		 24 – Henry   9 – Tied   5 – Henry  Carver-Hawkeye Arena (557)
Iowa City, IA
February 3, 2021
 BTN 		Nebraska Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Nebraska. Rescheduled to February 6.[81] Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
February 6, 2021
6:30 pm, BTN 		Nebraska       Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
February 6, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPN 		at No. 4 Michigan
Rivalry 		Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Michigan[79] Crisler Arena 
Ann Arbor, MI
February 9, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN/ESPN2 		Penn State       Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
February 13, 2021
2:30 pm, FOX 		Iowa       Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
February 16, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN/ESPN2 		at Purdue       Mackey Arena 
West Lafayette, IN
February 20, 2021
TBA, ESPN/ESPN2 		at Indiana       Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall 
Bloomington, IN
February 25, 2021
TBA, ESPN/ESPN2 		Ohio State       Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
February 28, 2021
2:00 pm, CBS 		at Maryland       Xfinity Center 
College Park, MD
March 7, 2021
TBA, CBS 		Michigan
Rivalry 		      Breslin Center 
East Lansing, MI
Big Ten Tournament
TBD
TBD 		vs. TBD       United Center 
Chicago, IL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Player statistics

Individual player statistics (through January 27, 2021)
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free-Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A Stl Blk TO
Bingham, Marcus 12 0 103 8.6 30 2.5 10 23 .435 0 1 .000 10 13 .769 5 17 22 1.8 5 3 17 8
Brown, Gabe 12 2 214 17.8 90 7.5 34 63 .540 18 39 .462 4 5 .800 7 13 20 1.7 6 9 6 13
Hall, Malik 12 0 245 20.4 71 5.9 25 48 .521 5 12 .417 16 24 .667 22 41 63 5.3 23 4 2 8
Hauser, Joey 12 12 278 23.2 141 11.8 45 92 .489 18 49 .367 33 43 .767 17 80 97 8.1 23 6 1 26
Henry, Aaron 12 10 356 29.7 167 13.9 62 142 .437 9 35 .257 34 41 .829 16 51 67 5.6 44 19 19 35
Hoggard, AJ 10 3 135 13.5 36 3.6 12 33 .364 2 8 .250 10 14 .714 2 20 22 2.2 21 6 4 10
Hoiberg, Jack 7 0 18 2.6 5 0.7 2 9 .222 0 5 .000 1 2 .500 1 1 2 0.3 2 0 0 0
Izzo, Steven 5 0 8 1.6 0 0.0 0 3 .000 0 2 .000 0 0 1 0 1 0.2 1 0 0 3
Kithier, Thomas 12 12 174 14.5 40 3.3 17 26 .654 0 0 6 7 .857 20 18 38 3.2 10 3 2 7
Langford, Joshua 11 11 270 24.5 98 8.9 36 91 .396 15 41 .366 11 11 1.000 13 13 26 2.4 23 5 3 12
Loyer, Foster 12 3 195 16.3 62 5.2 17 45 .378 14 34 .412 14 17 .824 0 18 18 1.5 28 2 0 8
Marble, Julius 11 0 76 6.9 45 4.1 19 26 .731 0 0 7 11 .636 6 12 18 1.6 2 1 0 7
Sissoko, Mady 10 0 56 5.6 11 1.1 4 7 .571 0 0 3 9 .333 3 17 20 2.0 0 0 6 3
Smith, Davis 4 0 8 2.0 0 0.0 0 1 .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 1 0
Watts, Rocket 12 7 264 22.0 116 9.7 43 118 .364 12 42 .286 18 21 .857 1 20 21 1.8 41 0 0 17
Team
Total 12 2400 912 76.0 326 727 .448 93 267 .347 167 218 .766 129 334 463 38.6 230 58 61 164
Opponents 12 2400 856 71.3 299 715 .418 84 255 .329 174 234 .744 108 290 398 33.2 163 83 31 140
Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
 Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals

Source[82]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP13844121723тRV—RV——
Coaches1212*441118RVRVRVRVRV—

*Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.

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