Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's men's basketball team is set to face Niagara University in their second game of the season. The match will take place on Thursday, November 7, at 8 p.m. at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The game will be broadcast live on BTN with commentary from Kevin Kugler and Shon Morris. Additionally, fans can listen to the Spartan Media Network radio call statewide and online at MSUSpartans.com, featuring play-by-play by Will Tieman and color analysis by Matt Steigenga.

The Spartans concluded their previous season with a 20-15 record and tied for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference. They participated in the NCAA Tournament for the 26th consecutive year, marking a significant streak in both conference and NCAA history. Michigan State won against Mississippi State in the first round but was defeated by North Carolina in the second round.

This season, Michigan State is adjusting after losing four starters who contributed significantly to last year's statistics. Returning players include senior guard Jaden Akins, who was a consistent starter last year, junior guard Tre Holloman known for his three-point shooting accuracy, and junior center Carson Cooper who played all games last season.

In their season opener against Monmouth, Michigan State secured an 81-57 victory with Jaden Akins scoring a career-high of 23 points. Freshman guard Jase Richardson also contributed ten points off the bench.

The team has added two transfers: senior forward Frankie Fidler from Omaha and senior center Szymon Zapala from Longwood/Utah State. Fidler had an impressive record at Omaha while Zapala brings experience from Longwood's successful previous season.

The Spartans' freshman class is nationally recognized as one of the top recruiting classes including guards Jase Richardson and Kur Teng along with forward Jesse McCulloch.

Niagara University enters this matchup under head coach Greg Paulus with a recent win over Houghton University where seven players scored double figures. Last season they achieved a balanced record and reached the quarterfinals of their conference tournament.

Thursday's game marks Niagara's first-ever meeting with Michigan State and kicks off a seven-game road trip for them. Historically, Michigan State has faced few teams from Niagara's conference but holds an overall favorable record against them.