Anyone who has taken a visit to Madison Square Garden remembers it. The home of the NBA’s New York Knicks is considered the most famous basketball arena on the planet for a reason, with its rich history, size, and distinctive ceiling.
Anyone who has seen Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper play also remembers them. The two freshmen are both projected to be top five picks in the 2025 NBA Draft and are the second and third-leading scorers in all of the Big Ten.
No. 8 Michigan State already has a big opportunity ahead of itself to earn a 12th consecutive victory and move to 8-0 in the Big Ten. The game being played in NYC - and the talent of some of the players on the opposing team - just adds another layer to it all.
“Rutgers is a team right now that has kind of been on the upswing; they’re playing better, they’ve got different lineups and their two superstars in Bailey and Harper are legitimate,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo on Wednesday. “I see Bailey make some shots that are unbelievable and Harper just has an incredible feel (for the game). They’re two of the better players I’ve seen in this league in a while and (Rutgers has) some guys now.”
“They’ve got a lot of hype and a lot of buzz, as they should,” said senior guard Jaden Akins. “To be able to have a chance to play in that game and make something happen is exciting.”
It’s a game that is packed full of possible distractions for the Spartans: the glitz and glamor of New York City and MSG, a Rutgers-friendly crowd, and two opposing stars that Michigan State’s players might end up bragging about having played against in the near future.
“I don’t listen to (the distractions),” said forward Jaxon Kohler. “It matters, but it doesn’t matter. (Playing in MSG) matters to the coaches and to our program, but for players it’s ‘next game.’ You can enjoy it in the locker room after a win, but at the end of the day you’re still gonna come back here the next day and get to practice and prepare for another team. The goal is ... to get better every day, whether it’s a win or a loss. With all these games that we’ve won, it’s always like, ‘OK, I’m hungry for another win, another win. Let’s keep this stretch going.’”
Playing in this venue is not a new concept to MSU’s leadership and upperclassmen. Akins made his collegiate debut in NYC in Nov. 2021 during the Champions Classic against Kansas and he, Kohler and Tre Holloman also played there twice the following season - once against against the Scarlet Knights and again in the Sweet 16 versus Kansas State.
“My first experience (at MSG), I was a freshman,” Akins said. “It was my first game. I didn’t play as many minutes as I do now, and now I feel like I’ve got more of an impact on the team, so I can control the game a little bit better.
“There’s goods and bads to (playing at special venues),” Kohler said. “Obviously the good is that you get to play where pros have played and (there are) special tournaments where people before you have played that turned into pros. But also, you have to make sure that you’re focused. At the end of the day, it’s still a game, no matter where it is. Whether it’s Hawaii, New York, Atlanta, it’s still a game. You just have to focus on what you have to do.”
All that being said, Madison Square Garden has seemingly earned a reputation as an arena where Michigan State struggles. None of MSU’s three players that have played a game there have won there: Akins is 0-3 and Kohler and Holloman are both 0-2.
Even Izzo’s overall record there is dreadful, 4-13. However, there is a reason he has been able to coach 17 such games there and is about to get an 18th - he has earned that right for his program. The result won’t be as important as the 2014 Elite Eight versus Connecticut or the more recent loss against Kansas State, but these things do matter to Izzo.
“We get a chance to play there (and) some of the reason is who Michigan State is,” Izzo said. “Some of the reason is the luck of the draw of the tournament of champions (Champions Classic) we get to play in. This game, they (Rutgers) could have moved any of their games there, and they moved our game there. Is that a compliment? Plus? Minus? It happened, I don’t know. I just think it’s great when your players get a chance to play in places and do things that will be memory-making for them.”
For these Spartans, it’s been a season packed full of memory-makers.
Whether it is a trip to Spain, the Upper Peninsula, Atlanta, or New York, Izzo and MSU have certainly gotten their frequent flier miles in. The next step is for the Spartans to continue to make on-court memories, particularly at Madison Square Garden, that involve winning. The special trips are great, but each and every person within the program is focused on inching closer to a conference title.
“Every game is important to us,” Akins said. “Home game, road game, we try to bring the same intensity and just stick together.”
The Spartans’ contest versus Rutgers is set for 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 25. The game will be nationally televised on CBS, the second consecutive nationally broadcast CBS game for MSU.
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