With Michigan State University head football coach Mel Tucker out and lots of drama and negative energy in the program right now, I have one thing to say: Thank God for MSU hoops. Seriously. Michigan State University basketball is a blessing right now. The program is a “legacy program,” at this point, and boy, do we need some kind of good legacy right now.
MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo is starting his 29th season with the Spartans. Last season, the team made it to the Sweet 16, and the good news is that many of the same players are returning this year. If the Spartans play their cards right, they could have a championship on their hands.
The majority of Michigan State’s men’s basketball schedule for the 2022-23 season, presented by Rocket Mortgage, were announced this week. First up, the team will play two exhibition games, starting on Wednesday, Oct. 25, hosting Hillsdale College. The second exhibition game will be on Sunday, Oct. 29, when Tennessee heads to the Breslin Center. It’s all for a good cause, too, as all proceeds from the game will be donated to the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund. The Fund gives financial resources to the relief efforts from the Maui wildfires.
Finally, Michigan State kicks off the regular season on Monday, Nov. 6. They’ll host James Madison at the Breslin Center. Then, the Big Ten Conference play starts on Tuesday, Dec. 5, where MSU will host Wisconsin.
Find the full Michigan State University basketball season scheduled here.
Tom Izzo has been a steady force at MSU lately, as Tucker has gotten the boot and the football program has been pretty much in shambles. It’s temporary, though, as MSU will hopefully snag a good football coach to help put the program back together.
Izzo is well aware that a school’s football program is the focal point of that school’s sports program. For that reason and more, he hopes MSU can rebuild their football program quickly and completely. Izzo, who is the longest-tenured coach at Michigan State, says he’s happy to help with MSU’s search for its next head football coach.
“I hope so, I really do, because I think I’ve been a sounding board for a lot of hires here,” Izzo said earlier this week at MSU basketball’s on-campus media day. “When you’re here for a hundred years, you should have some sounding board on what you do. That doesn’t mean I’m in on the decision-making, it means I’m a sounding board.”
He added, “The other thing, that I have an advantage of is, when you stay in it this long, and you have a love for football and some of your best friends are in football, I think you have the contacts and the ability to help in the search in that way.”
Could Izzo serve as both the basketball and football coaches? I’m joking, but I’m sure some Spartans would be happy to see that arrangement happen. But, back to hoops. This year’s MSU basketball team has the highest expectations since the 2019-20 season, when it opened the season ranked No. 1 in the U.S., so my fingers are crossed for a stellar year.