Lansing Sun

Michigan State's men's basketball team is set to commence its Big Ten Conference play with a game against Minnesota on Wednesday, December 4th. The match will be broadcast live on BTN at 8:30 p.m., with Cory Provus and Stephen Bardo providing commentary. Fans can also tune into the Spartan Media Network for the radio broadcast, featuring Will Tieman as the play-by-play announcer and Kevin Pauga as the color analyst.

The Spartans enter this matchup with a 6-2 record. They are currently ranked No. 41 in the NCAA Net Rankings, No. 36 by KenPom.com, and No. 30 in ESPN's BPI rankings. Their recent performance includes securing third place at the Maui Invitational and a notable overtime victory against then-No. 12 North Carolina.

Key players for Michigan State include senior guard Akins, leading the team with an average of 12.9 points per game (ppg), and junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who tops the team in rebounds with an average of 7.5 per game. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. is making significant contributions with an average of 7.5 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists per game.

On the other side, Minnesota comes into Wednesday's contest holding a 6-3 record after defeating Bethune-Cookman on Sunday with a score of 79-62. Senior forward Dawson Garcia leads Minnesota in scoring with an average of 19.1 ppg, placing him fifth in the Big Ten standings.

Historically, Michigan State has dominated their encounters with Minnesota, winning four out of their last five meetings and nine out of eleven overall games between them.

Head Coach Tom Izzo holds a solid track record against Minnesota, boasting a career tally of 39 wins to just 13 losses against them.

In terms of Big Ten openers under Coach Izzo's leadership, Michigan State has won seventeen out of twenty-nine attempts but has lost its last two conference openers.