Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's men's basketball team is set to face Colorado in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday, November 25. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 5 p.m., with commentary from Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas. Fans can also listen to the Spartan Media Network's radio coverage featuring Will Tieman, Matt Steigenga, and Zach Surdenik.

The Spartans enter the tournament with a 4-1 record. They are ranked No. 45 by KenPom.com and No. 27 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI). In their recent victory over Samford, senior guard Jaden Akins scored a career-high of 25 points. Akins leads Michigan State with an average of 14.6 points per game, followed by senior forward Frankie Fidler with 11.8 points and junior forward Jaxon Kohler with 10.2 points per game.

Kohler also leads the team in rebounds, averaging eight per game, while Akins follows with an average of 6.2 rebounds per game. Redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. contributes an average of 6.2 assists per game, ranking fourth in the Big Ten Conference.

Michigan State has participated in the Maui Invitational five times before: in 1991, 1995, 2005, 2010, and most recently in 2019. Head Coach Tom Izzo is making his fifth appearance at this event.

Colorado comes into the tournament undefeated with a record of four wins and no losses after defeating Harvard last Sunday. This will be their first away test this season under Head Coach Tad Boyle.

The upcoming match marks the fifth meeting between Michigan State and Colorado; Michigan State leads the series three games to one.