Lansing Sun

Members of Michigan State University's men's basketball team attended the Big Ten Conference Media Day at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The event took place on Thursday morning after the team departed from East Lansing.

The Spartans were led by Head Coach Tom Izzo, now in his 30th year with the team. Senior guard Jaden Akins, sophomore forward Xavier Booker, and junior guard Tre Holloman represented the players at the media day.

The day's schedule began with interviews at 8 a.m. Central Time and included a live session on the Big Ten Network studio set with Rick Pizzo at 11:45 a.m. The team also participated in interview sessions with CBS, NBC, and FOX in the morning. Their media engagements concluded with a 30-minute session for print media and an appearance on SiriusXM radio.

The Field of 68 predicted that Michigan State would finish fifth in the conference this season. Last year, they ended with a 20-15 record, tying for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference. They were selected for their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, marking both the longest streak in the Big Ten and the longest active streak nationwide.

Key returning players include Akins, who averaged 10.4 points per game last season and was the only player to start all 35 games. New additions to the roster include transfers Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala as well as a freshman class ranked among the top-20 nationally.

The Spartans have scheduled two exhibition games before starting their regular season. On Sunday, October 13, they will visit Northern Michigan, marking Head Coach Tom Izzo's first return to his alma mater as coach for a game since graduating there in 1977. The second exhibition game is set against Ferris State on Tuesday, October 29 at Breslin Center.

Michigan State's official regular-season opener will be against Monmouth on Monday, November 4 at Breslin Center.