Michigan State Men's Basketball: Butler Preview

The No. 18-ranked Michigan State Spartans return to the Breslin Center on Friday to take on the Butler Bulldogs as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which pits a Big East opponent against a Big Ten opponent. The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will steam live on Fox Sports 1.

The Spartans are coming off a 74-65 loss to No. 9 Duke at the Champions Classic event in Chicago and come into this game with a record of 1-2 overall on the 2023-2024 season. Butler, on the other hand, is undefeated coming into this game with a perfect 3-0 record.

Most recently, the Bulldogs defeated East Tennessee State University by a score of 81-47. The last time the Bulldogs and the Spartans matched up was in 2021 for the Gavitt Games, with the Spartans coming out victorious by a final score of 73-52

Michigan State: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - A.J. Hoggard (6’4” Sr.), Tre Holloman (6’2” So.)

2 - Tyson Walker (6’0” Graduate Sr.), Jeremy Fears Jr. (6'2" Fr.)

3 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Jr.), Coen Carr (6’5” Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" Fr.)

4 - Malik Hall (6’8” Graduate Sr.), Xavier Booker (6'11" Fr.)

5 - Mady Sissoko (6’9” Sr.), Carson Cooper (6’11” So.)

Injured: Jaxon Kohler (6’9” So.)

Rankings & Ratings: No. 18 (AP), No.19 (Coaches), N/A (NET), No.33 (Kenpom), No.17 (Barttorvik)

The Spartans showed some promise, especially on the defensive end of the floor, but they were not able to contain Duke down the stretch on Tuesday night. Michigan State was led by guard Tyson Walker (22 points) and forward Malik Hall (18 points) against the Blue Devils.

Unfortunately, shooting woes hampered the Spartans in their last game once again, shooting 6-for-19 from 3-point range (31.6%) and 7-for-12 from the free-throw line (58.3%). The shooting from deep range was abysmal in the first half, as the Spartans went just 2-for-13 (15.4%) before improving significantly in the second half (4-for-6, 66.7%). Walker went 3-for-5 (60%) from behind the arc, while Hall went 2-for-4 (50%).

Senior point guard A.J. Hoggard struggled once again to find his rhythm offensively, scoring only two points and making just one of eight shot attempts from the floor (12.5%), but he did have a game-high eight assists. Michigan State has to get more from Hoggard to be successful. However, Hall finally breaking out a little bit offensively was a welcome sight for the Spartans.

MSU now have an opportunity to get back to .500 against a team that is currently playing some good basketball.

Butler: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Posh Alexander (6'0" Sr.)

2 - DJ Davis (6'1" Sr.), Landon Moore (6'3" So.)

3 - Pierre Brooks (6'6" Jr.), Finley Bizjack (6'4" Fr.)

4 - Jahmyl Telfort (6'7" Sr.), Connor Turnbull (6'10" So.)

5 - Jalen Thomas (6'10 Graduate Sr.), Boden Kapke (6'11" Fr)

Injured:

Rankings & Ratings: No.N/A (AP), No. N/A (Coaches), N/A (NET), No.67 (Kenpom), No.89 (Barttorvik)

The Butler Bulldogs and head coach Thad Matta find themselves in a great place currently out to an undefeated start to the season after three games of play. Although the competition has not been the best, the Bulldogs made a lot of moves to overhaul their roster via the transfer portal and it seems to be paying dividends in the early going.

In the back-court, Posh Alexander and DJ Davis are one of the more underrated duos in the country. Alexander, the St. John's transfer, is an elite defender and competitor. Alexander leads this team in scoring (tied), assists and steals, all while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. DJ Davis, a transfer from UC Irvine, was a highly-regarded transfer as one of the best shooters in the country. Davis shot the three-ball at a 42% clip on high volume last year and he has continued that trend doing the same for the Bulldogs this season. Both Alexander and Davis are averaging 13.7 points per game, tied for the team lead.

On the wings, there is a familiar face for many Spartan fans. Pierre Brooks II, who played his first two years at Michigan State. He found his new home at Butler, and so far, seems to be enjoying his change of scenery. Brooks is known as a shooter, but he also loves to use his body and frame to crash the glass and score around the rim as well. Through three games, Brooks is averaging 13.1 points and 4,0 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.1% overall from the field. Also in the front-court is Jahmyl Telfort, who is a prototypical college power forward and uses his size and quickness well to create mismatch issues.

Down low is 6-foot-10 center Jalen Thomas. Thomas, a Detroit native, is a phenomenal rim protector and rebounder (leads team with 7.3 rebounds per game). Thomas also has good hands and has the ability to finish around the rim.

Butler has won each of its first three games by at least 34 points, but Michigan State will be the Bulldogs' first real test of the season.

Game Breakdown and Prediction

Michigan State must come prepared in this game. Over previous seasons, Butler has somewhat been overlooked by many opponents. Butler has a done a great job in the transfer portal and the Bulldogs have the confidence that they can make some noise this season.

Butler is one of the better teams in the country at guarding around the rim, so Michigan State will have to knock down some outside shots — something the team has really struggled with this season, shooting just 16% from 3-point range through three games — in order to score against this Bulldogs' defense.

With the home crowd backing them, I like the Spartans to figure out the shooting issues and knock down some shots. This team is more than capable of doing so. And for fun, just to call my shot, I have a good feeling we see a breakout game from freshmen guard Jeremy Fears Jr. or freshman forward Xavier Booker in this game.

Michigan State needs to get back in the win column, and I think the Spartans do just that on Friday night.

Prediction: Michigan State 71, Butler 60

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