After a 10-day rest, the No. 20 Michigan State men's basketball team will return to the court on Tuesday night, as the Spartans face off against an in-state program, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and it will air on ESPN2.
The Spartans enter this matchup with a 8-2 overall record on the season (2-0 in Big Ten play) and are coming off an impressive 89-52 rout of the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Dec. 9. The game featured one of the best second half performances of the season by MSU. as it outscored the Cornhuskers 48-21 in the final 20 minutes.
Three Spartans scored in double figures in the win over the Cornhuskers with senior guard Jaden Akins leading the charge for MSU with 18 points. Freshman guard Jase Richardson had 16 points and sophomore forward Xavier Booker had 11 points in the win.
Meanwhile, Oakland is coming off of a 66-50 loss to the Youngstown State Penguins on Dec. 7.
Michigan State Depth Chart and State of the Team
1- Jeremy Fears Jr. (6’2” RS Fr..)
2 - Jaden Akins (6’4” Sr.), Jase Richardson (6'3" Fr.), Gehrig Normand (6'5" RS Fr.)
3- Tre Holloman (6’2” Jr.), 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)
Through 10 games this season, the Spartans have been led offensively by senior guard Jaden Akins, who leads the team in scoring averaging 13.0 points per game. Freshman guard Jase Richardson has been a pleasant surprise for the Spartans this season, averaging 10.3 points per game.
The Spartans struggled to shoot from beyond the arc to start the 2024-2025 season, ranking near the bottom of Division I in 3-point shooting percentage. During Michigan State's last two games against Minnesota and Nebraska, respectively, the Spartans have improved their 3-point shooting percentage, as they have shot 44.4% from deep range in those two contests combined. MSU’s 3-point percentage on the season is still under 30%, at 27.2%, however.
It will be interesting to see if the Spartans can continue its upward trajectory with shooting the ball against Oakland in Detroit on Tuesday night. The Spartans have also been rebounding the ball well (ranking second in the Big Ten with 41.0 per game), and they should be able to do so again against the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland Depth Chart and State of the Team
1- DQ Cole (6' 3" Sr.), Jaylen Jones (6' 0" So.)
2- Cooper Craggs (6' 5" So.), Malcolm Christie (6' 5" Sr.), Nassim Mashhour (6' 4" Fr.)
3- Jayson Woodrich (6' 7" Sr.), Isaiah Jones (6' 7" Jr.)
4- Buru Naivalurua (6' 6" Sr.)
5- Allen Mukeba (6' 6" Sr.), Deng Majak (6' 9" Jr.)
The Golden Grizzlies enter this matchup with a 3-5 record on the 2024-2025 season. Of course, Oakland is led by head coach Greg Kampe. Oakland is 0-22 all-time against Michigan State, and 0-7 on neutral floors.
Oakland is led by forward Allen Mukeba, who leads the team in scoring averaging with 13.6 points per game through eight games this season.
Forward Buru Naivalurua and guard DQ Cole are also players to watch for the Golden Grizzlies in this matchup against the Spartans. Cole averages 11.1 points per game on the season. Naivalurua, who completes Mukeba as the other forward in Oakland's starting lineup, averages 12.6 points per game.
Oakland’s biggest struggle so far this season has been its shooting. The Golden Grizzlies rank in the bottom-50 in the Division I in field goal percentage at 41.4 percent% overall. They are also shooting just 25.3% from 3-point range.
Game Prediction and Preview
This isn’t the same Oakland team that was led by the heroics of Jack Gohlke and Trey Townsend and secured a historic upset win over the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament last season. However, while the Golden Grizzlies have never beaten the Spartans, they have a history of competing hard against the Spartans in this series.
Look for Oakland to compete in the first half against Michigan State until the improved three point shooting and stout MSU defense take over in what should be a comfortable win for the Spartans.
Expect Michigan State to improve to 9-2 overall on the campaign.
Prediction: Michigan State 91, Oakland 73
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