East Lansing, Mich. – The men’s basketball team of Michigan State will host Washington in its inaugural home match of the new year on Thursday, Jan. 9 (8 p.m., BTN).
The matchup will be broadcast live on BTN, with Brandon Gaudin and LaPhonso Ellis narrating the event. The Spartan Media Network radio broadcast can be accessed statewide as well as online at MSUSpartans.com, featuring Will Tieman providing the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga as the color commentator, with Zach Surdenik serving as the studio host. The game will also be available on channels 161 and 195 on SiriusXM as well as the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
Michigan State approaches Thursday’s contest with a 12-2 overall record (3-0 B1G) and stands at No. 16 in the Associated Press rankings and No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches ratings.
The Spartans are positioned at No. 19 in the NCAA Net Rankings, No. 20 according to KenPom.com, and No. 23 in the ESPN BPI.
Including a summer expedition to Spain in August, an exhibition matchup at Northern Michigan (Head Coach Tom Izzo‘s alma mater) on Oct. 13, and excursions to Atlanta (Champions Classic), Hawaii (Maui Invitational), and Minnesota (Big Ten opener), the Spartans traveled over 11,500 miles between August and December.
The Spartans, having secured victory in seven consecutive games and 10 out of their last 11, feature just one player (Jaden Akins) scoring in double digits.
MSU recently achieved a 69-62 triumph at Ohio State last Saturday, marking their seventh consecutive win.
Senior center Szymon Zapala topped the team with 15 points, becoming the eighth different scorer to lead the team in points this season.
The Spartans are the sole team in the AP Top 25 with only one player achieving double-digit scoring.
MSU has three players averaging a minimum of 9.0 ppg, five with at least 8.0 ppg, and 10 players scoring at least 4.0 ppg.
MSU depends on its roster depth, with six players averaging a minimum of 20.0 minutes per game and seven averaging at least 18.6 minutes.
Akins leads the team with an average of 13.7 ppg and ranks third with 4.1 rpg, while freshman guard Jase Richardson averages 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, and sophomore forward Coen Carr ranks third on the squad with 9.0 points.
Junior forward Jaxon Kohler, with four double-doubles this season, is contributing 8.1 ppg and leads the team with 8.5 rebounds per game, placing sixth in the Big Ten.
Redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 7.3 points and a team-leading 6.0 assists per game, ranking third in the Big Ten, while junior Tre Holloman adds 7.1 points and 3.8 assists (4.3 in conference contests).
MSU is averaging 23.4 free throw attempts per game (No. 45 nationally) after averaging 17.2 attempts per game in 2023-24, ranking fifth in the nation in free throw percentage (81.3%) and ninth in free throws made per game (19.0).
MSU also ranks seventh in the country in rebounding margin (+11.0), 13th in defensive rebounds per game (29.0/g), and 13th in total rebounds per game (41.4).
About the Huskies
Washington comes into the Thursday match with a 10-5 overall record and a 1-3 tally in the Big Ten Conference.
The Huskies have won two of their last three games and four of six overall, most recently securing a 75-69 victory against Maryland at home last weekend.
UW’s last two defeats occurred at home, last Sunday against Illinois (81-77) and on Dec. 23 at home versus Seattle U (79-7).
The Huskies commenced conference play with road losses against UCLA (69-58) and USC (85-61) in early December.
Senior forward Great Osobor, a transfer from Utah State who was named Mountain West Player of the Year last season, leads UW in scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounding (8.7 rpg), and assists (3.5 apg).
Sophomore guard Tyler Harris, another transfer from Portland, ranks second on the team with 12.1 points and 5.3 rebounds, having made a team-high 19 shots from beyond the arc, while freshman guard Zoom Diallo is third with 10.9 ppg.
Washington ranks 16th in the conference for scoring offense (74.4 ppg) and is tied for 10th in scoring defense (69.4 ppg)… In Big Ten matchups, the Huskies stand 18th in scoring offense (67.8 ppg), sharing ninth place in scoring defense (76.0 ppg).
Series History
Michigan State and Washington will clash for the seventh time in program history on Thursday.
The Spartans hold the advantage in the all-time series, leading 4-2, and have triumphed in the last four encounters.
The most recent matchup occurred on Nov. 24, 2010, with MSU winning 76-71 in the Maui Invitational.
The Spartans have faced the Huskies only twice under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
Michigan State defeated Washington 64-50 in the first round of the 1996 NIT, at the conclusion of Izzo’s inaugural season as head coach.
The Huskies secured victories in the initial two clashes between the teams, winning 45-52 in East Lansing in 1942 and claiming a 71-69 victory in Seattle in 1957.