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    Michigan State Basketball hosts Ferris State in an exhibition
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    Michigan State Basketball hosts Ferris State in an exhibition

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    4 minutes, 54 seconds Read

    East Lansing — Sorry the Michigan State men's basketball team got swept up in the fanfare of its first appearance Oct. 13 in Northern Michigan. More than anything, this event served as a homecoming and extended tribute to 30-year coach Tom Izzo.

    Now the Spartans are more focused on what’s happening on the court. Michigan State prepares for its second exhibition of the season on Tuesday night, hosting Division II Ferris State for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Breslin Center, broadcast on BTN+. As much as the lessons learned at Marquette are still useful, what the Spartans show in this game is much more telling of what they looked like early in the season.

    Here's what you should know before the exhibition begins:

    What exactly does MSU want to learn here?

    For a program like Michigan State that introduces so many new pieces into new roles, there's a lot of value to be gained from an exhibition game. The Spartans lost nearly half of their roster in minutes last season. The only returning starter is Jaden Akins, and even he will most likely switch to his natural shooting guard position after playing a lot of three-pointers last season. In other words, there is a lot to figure out.

    Learning does not necessarily occur spontaneously. Izzo was able to see the team play in Europe and at the Northern Michigan Exhibition this summer. But after reviewing these games and the final weeks of practice, he'll get a chance to work out the finer points of his rotations.

    “We’re going to play a lot of people,” Izzo said. “Hopefully we can get some consistency, like who we're starting – and it's not (decided yet), but soon – who the first few guys off the bench are. “But we're still going to play a lot of people.”

    In the duel against Northern Michigan, the Spartans started Jeremy Fears Jr. at point guard, Akins at shooting guard, Frankie Fidler at small forward, Xavier Booker at power forward and Szymon Zapala at center. Zapala was battling a hip injury Thursday that he suffered earlier in the week. It didn't sound like that would keep him out of the lineup on Tuesday, but it does open up the possibility of a few guys working in the group of five. Considering the Spartans' strength at the position with players like Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, perhaps moving multiple players at the position wouldn't be a bad thing.

    The Bulldogs bring some bite

    Ferris State is not a weak opponent, especially when it comes to the D-2 division. The Bulldogs won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference tournament last season and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals last season before losing to eventual D-2 champion Minnesota State.

    “There are so many people moving right now that Division II schools can be very good,” Izzo explained, “because a lot of Division I guys who wanted to transfer didn't have a place to go, so they had to go back to Division II.” . If you ask me, it’s still sad how the whole thing works.”

    This year's edition of the Bulldogs isn't one of those teams that falls out of control thanks to the transfer portal. Their only transfer players come from St. Clair County Community College, King University and St. Thomas Acquinas and not from a Division I program.

    Several of the Bulldogs have Michigan roots, with 16 of 19 players hailing from the state. Eight of those players are from Grand Rapids specifically, including forward Mykel Bingham, the younger brother of former Spartans forward Marcus Bingham Jr., who played for Michigan State from 2018-2022. The elder Bingham is now playing professional basketball in Israel, while his younger brother will play a game on his old stomping ground at Ferris State.

    When it comes to scouting a Division II opponent, Izzo is less interested in individual players and more interested in the way the team plays basketball as a whole.

    “I’m still more worried about us than our opponent,” Izzo said Thursday. “It’s hard to spot any of these guys now that they have so many new people. So look a little bit at what they did last year. “Offensively, in terms of what they do, but in terms of personnel, that’s going to be harder in these games early in the season.”

    More possessions, more points

    Izzo's teams always focus on defense, rebounding and basic basketball, but this year that emphasis is particularly emphasized. The Spartans not only want to protect the ball well when they have it, but also make ball security a problem for opponents.

    “We feel like we have to steal possessions and get more shots (with) more possessions,” Izzo said. “So the turnovers are going to be big, and the offensive rebounds are still going to be big. Not giving them extra shots from rebounds or missed free throws will be a big challenge.”

    It's a big deal. The first appearance against the Wildcats showed some deficiencies in ball security, particularly in the turnover area. The Spartans turned the ball up 14 times, giving up nine points to their opponents, with the excitement of this game contributing to the problem. Whatever the case, Michigan State wants a cleaner performance on Tuesday night.

    In order to increase ball possession in real games, the Spartans emphasize ball security in practice. Izzo said his team records a number of things in practice, including turnovers.

    “It helped us a lot to hold guys accountable,” Izzo said.

    And this also applies if you throw them into the fire against another opponent. The Spartans will see how their players respond to a different opponent, a dry run that will show where their efforts have improved and where they haven't since their last appearance.

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    @ConnorEaregood

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