The Michigan State men's basketball team returns to action to participate in its last game before Christmas as the Spartans welcome the Stony Brook Seawolves to the Breslin Center.

The Spartans will take on the Seawolves at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday and the game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. In their last outing, the Spartans were able to dismantle the Oakland Golden Grizzlies by a final score of 79-62.

Meanwhile, Stony Brook is on a four-game win streak with the team's last win coming against Army by a final score of 78-74.

MSU will look to continue its winning ways as the holiday break is coming up. Here is a preview of the matchup.

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

Injured: Jaxon Kohler (6’9” So.)

Rankings & Ratings: No. N/A (AP), No. N/A (Coaches), No. 41 (NET), No. 23 (Kenpom), No. 15 (Barttorvik)

Michigan State was able to avoid a letdown after a big win versus Baylor as the Spartans defeated Oakland fairly handily.

After a quiet first half in which Oakland's defensive game plan centered around stopping him, graduate senior guard Tyson Walker led the Spartans in scoring with 14 points. He had five assists as well. Walker hit a jumper within the second half to reach the 1,000-point mark in his MSU career, becoming the 24th-fastest player to accomplish that feat.

Senior guard A.J. Hoggard scored 11 points and handed out a game-high seven assists, while junior guard Jaden Akins had 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Senior center Mady Sissoko and sophomore center Carson Cooper each finished with seven points and eight rebounds.

The production from the back-court and front-court once again was a massive positive for the Spartans. Combining the offensive side with some great defensive intensity has MSU currently look dangerous after a slow start.

Stony Brook: Depth Chart and State of the Team

1 - Dean Knoll (6'2" Sr.), Toby Onyekonwu (6'0" So.)

2 - Tyler Stephenson-Moore (6'3" Sr.), Aaron Clarke (6'1" Sr.)

3 - Jared Frey (6'4" So.), Andre Snoddy (6'6" Jr.)

4 - Chris Maidoh (6'10" Sr.)

5 - Keenan Fitzmorris (7'0" Sr.)

Injured:

Rankings & Ratings: No. N/A (AP), No. N/A (Coaches), No. 250 (NET), No. 257 (Kenpom), No. 200 (Barttorvik)

As mentioned, the Seawolves come into this game on a four-game winning streak and are playing some of their best ball of the young season thus far.

Stony Brook is led by graduate senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore, who averages about 16 points per game, while shooting over 49.5% from both the field and 48.1% from 3-point range.

The Seawolves have struggled on the road, with a 1-4 record in away games, despite a 6-5 record overall (same as Michigan State). In the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), they currently rank eighth in scoring, averaging 73.2 points per game. Their shooting percentage stands at a solid 42.8%.

When it comes to defending the 3-point line, Stony Brook struggles, allowing 9.5 made shots per game on average, while their opponents shoot at a 37.2% clip from the field. Both of those metrics rank at or near the bottom of the CAA.

Sophomore Jared Frey has been a key player for the Seawolves, averaging 9.6 points per game. Graduate senior big man Keenan Fitzmorris also has the size down low at 7-feet tall to give the opposition issues.

The Seawolves will be looking to capitalize on their recent success and improve their away record, while the Spartans aim to defend their home court and defend their current winning streak.

Head coach Tom Izzo will be sure to have his team locked in to prevent a letdown with an extended holiday break coming up. Defensively, Michigan State should be able to pressure and force Stony Brook into tough shots and turnover,s and turn that into easy baskets on the other end.

With the team's current form and home-court advantage, I think the Spartans roll in this one.

Prediction: Michigan State 81, Stony Brook 59

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