Michigan State (4-1) is set to begin its journey to a potential Maui Invitational championship, as the Spartans take on the Colorado Buffaloes on Monday.
This game is set to take place on the island of Maui in Hawaii at the Lahaina Civic Center, and will broadcast live on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The Spartans are coming off an 83-75 victory over Samford, while the Buffaloes are coming of an 88-66 victory over Harvard.
Both teams are looking to take the first step to winning the famous Maui Invitational championship. On Tuesday, the winner of this game will take on the winner of the Monday game between Memphis and UConn.
Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team
1 - Jeremy Fears Jr. (6’2” RS Fr..), Tre Holloman (6’2” Jr.)
2 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Sr.), Jase Richardson (6'3" Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" RS Fr.)
3 - Frankie Fidler (6’7” Sr.), Coen Carr (6’5” So.), Kur Teng (6'4" Fr.)
4 - Jaxon Kohler (6’9” Jr.), Xavier Booker (6'11" So.)
5 - Syzmon Zapala (7'0" Sr.), Carson Cooper (6’11” So.), Jesse McCulloch (6''10" Fr., expected to redshirt)
Michigan State is coming off a stern test at home against Samford, where the Spartans were able to pull off the aforementioned 83-75 victory over the Bulldogs.
Against the Bulldogs, the Spartans were once again led by senior guard Jaden Akins, who scored a career-high 25 points. Akins is currently leading the Spartans in scoring with 14.6 points per game, and is one of three Spartans averaging double figures in the scoring department.
Power forward/center Jaxon Kohler leads the Spartans in rebounding, grabbing 8.0 rebounds per contest, while point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the Spartans in assists, with 6.2 assists per game. Fears has struggled with turnover issues over the past couple of games, however, giving the ball away eight times combined over the past two contests. MSU will need to limit the turnovers against Colorado on Monday and throughout the Maui Invitational.
The Spartans currently sit at 4-1 overall on the young season, and find themselves ranked 44th on Kenpom. With a stacked field that includes four top-12 teams, the Spartans have opportunities to pick up some quality wins in Maui, but it all starts with taking care of business in the first one against Colorado.
Colorado: Depth Chart and State of the Team
1 - Julian Hammond II (6’2” Sr.)
2 - Javon Ruffin (6'5" Jr.), RJ Smith (6'3" So.)
3 - Andrej Jakimovski (6'8" Sr.)
4 - Trevor Baskin (6'9" Sr.), Sebastian Rancik (6'9" Fr.)
5 - Elijah Malone (6'10" Sr.)
Colorado won two games in the NCAA Tournament last season, and though Buffaloes' roster lost a lot of talent from the previous year, CU currently sits at 4-0 on the young 2024-2025 season.
Head coach Tad Boyle is replacing three NBA draft picks from last year's team, but he utilized the transfer portal to reload his roster.
Andrej Jakimovski, a transfer from Washington State, currently leads the Buffaloes in scoring, putting up 14.3 points per game. Second on the team in scoring is the NAIA transfer big man from Grace College, Elijah Malone. Malone, who won the Bevo Francis Award (top small college basketball player, encompassing NCAA II, III, NAIA and junior colleges), is averaging 14.0 points per game and has a very deep bag of post moves. Another transfer contributors is Trevor Baskin, from Colorado Mesa (Division II). He is averaging 10.0 per game and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game.
Rounding out the starting lineup for the Buffaloes is Julian Hammond III and Javon Ruffin, who were contributing members of last year's Colorado team that won 29 games.
As a team, Colorado is shooting the ball very well this season, especially from 3-point range. They rank 21st in the country, shooting 40.2% from beyond the arc. The Buffaloes are also one of the better 2-point defensive teams as well, holding opponents to just 41.1% from the floor, which ranks 16th nationally. Colorado currently checks in at 68th overall on Kenpom.
Game Breakdown and Prediction
Though Colorado sits at 4-0 on the season, the Buffaloes have not yet played a team that is in the top-100 on Kenpom. The Spartans will certainly be a step up in competition.
Colorado's successful 2-point defensive profile is something to monitor, as 58.5% of the Spartans' scoring comes from inside the arc. Michigan State will need to hit some shots from beyond the arc — something the team has struggled with in the early part of the season — given how stout the Buffaloes are when defending the 2-pointers. MSU will also have to be defensively mindful of the Buffaloes' ability to shoot the 3-pointer.
This game will be close and should be a battle until the very end, but if the Spartans play their best ball, I like their chances to get a win.
Prediction: Michigan State 73, Colorado 70
