Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's men's basketball team is set to host Bowling Green at the Breslin Center on Saturday, November 16, at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on BTN with commentary from Jack Kiser and Stephen Bardo. The Spartan Media Network will also provide a radio call, featuring Will Tieman as the play-by-play announcer, Matt Steigenga as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. Fans can listen via MSUSpartans.com or the SiriusXM app.

The Spartans started their season strong with home victories against Monmouth (81-57) and Niagara (96-60) but faced a setback with a 77-69 loss to No. 1 Kansas in Atlanta during the Champions Classic. Senior forward Frankie Fidler led Michigan State with 15 points against Kansas, while junior forward Jaxon Kohler achieved his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

This matchup against Bowling Green marks the first of two consecutive home games for Michigan State, who will also face Samford on Tuesday, November 19. The Spartans will conclude November by participating in the Maui Invitational from November 25 to 27.

Under head coach Tom Izzo's guidance, Michigan State played two exhibition games before the official start of the season. They defeated Northern Michigan on October 13 in what was Izzo's first coaching appearance at his alma mater.

Michigan State returns eight letterwinners and has added two transfers and five freshmen to their roster this year. Last season, they finished with a record of 20-15 and secured their place in the NCAA Tournament for an impressive 26th consecutive year—a streak recognized by both Big Ten Conference history and NCAA records.

Replacing four starters from last year who contributed significantly to scoring, rebounds, and assists is among this season's challenges for MSU. Returning players include guard Tyson Walker (All-Big Ten Second Team), junior guard Tre Holloman—who led in three-point field goal percentage—and junior center Carson Cooper.

Newcomers include senior forward Frankie Fidler from Omaha and senior center Szymon Zapala from Longwood/Utah State. Fidler was named First Team All-Summit League last season after averaging over 20 points per game.

Bowling Green enters Saturday's game with a record of one win and two losses under head coach Todd Simon, now in his second year leading the Falcons. Simon previously coached at Southern Utah before joining Bowling Green last year.

The upcoming match is notable as Bowling Green’s associate head coach Lourawls "TumTum" Nairn Jr., who played under Tom Izzo at MSU from 2014-18, returns to East Lansing but this time on opposing sidelines.

Historically, Michigan State holds an all-time record of 11 wins against three losses when facing Bowling Green; however, they have won five consecutive meetings since losing back-to-back games in the late '80s. Their most recent victory came on December 18, 2012.