The 2017-18 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University in the 2017-18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 23rd-year head coach Tom Izzo, play their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference.
Video 2017-18 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Previous season
The Spartans finished the 2016-17 season 20-15, 10-8 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the Big Ten Tournament, they defeated Penn State in the second round before losing to Minnesota in the quarterfinals. They received a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed in the Midwest region, their 20th consecutive appearance in the Tournament. They defeated No. 8-seeded Miami in the First Round before losing to No. 1-seeded Kansas in the Second Round. The 15 losses by MSU were the second most ever under Tom Izzo, behind only his 16 losses in his first season as head coach at MSU.
The Spartans were led by freshmen Miles Bridges, 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and Nick Ward, 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Maps 2017-18 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Offseason
Departures
Recruiting classes
2017 recruiting class
On September 15, 2016, five-star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. announced that he would attend Michigan State. He is the son of former NBA player Jaren Jackson Sr. Jackson was listed as the eighth best player in the 2017 final rankings by ESPN. On September 30, 2016, four-star power forward Xavier Tillman committed to MSU. He was considered the best player in the state of Michigan in the 2017 class. Tillman was ranked No. 71 in the 2017 final rankings by ESPN. Tillman and Jackson signed National Letters of Intent on November 9, 2016. With just these two signings, MSU's class was listed as the 14th best in the country by ESPN and 17th by rivals.com.
Two-star point guard Jack Hoiberg, son of Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, announced he would attend Michigan State as a preferred walk-on. On May 30, the school announced that two-star shooting guard Brock Washington would join the Spartans as a preferred walk-on in 2017.
2018 recruiting class
On April 5, 2016, four-star power forward Thomas Kithier announced he will attend Michigan State. On November 22, 2016, four-star point guard Foster Loyer committed to MSU. He is the son of NBA assistant coach John Loyer. After receiving an offer three days prior, four-star small forward Gabe Brown announced on June 20, 2017 that he will play for the Spartans in 2018. On June 30, 2017, three-star power forward Marcus Bingham Jr. announced he would play for MSU in 2018. On September 11, 2017, four-star small forward Aaron Henry committed to play basketball at MSU in 2018. According to scout.com, after the commit of Aaron Henry, the Spartans had the third best recruiting class in 2018.
Early offseason rankings
In April, 2017, most early pollsters included Michigan State in the preseason top 25 for the 2017-18 season. These included ESPN (No. 12), Sports Illustrated (No. 8), Yahoo! Sports (No. 11), USA Today (No. 16), NBC Sports (No. 3), CBS Sports (No. 3), Sporting News (No. 5) and Bleacher Report (No. 12). Most of the projections assumed Miles Bridges would not return to East Lansing for his sophomore season. USA Today noted that "leading scorer Miles Bridges is NBA-bound." The Sporting News summarized: "Bridges hasn't announced his decision yet, but Spartans fans aren't holding their breath (he's expected to be a lottery pick)." Following the deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft, many media outlets released updated early top 25 rankings for the 2017-18 season. MSU was a consensus top three team by every major outlet: NBC Sports (No. 1), Fox Sports (No. 2), Sporting News (No. 2), ESPN (No. 3), CBS Sports (No. 3), and Yahoo! Sports (No. 3).
Returning players
On April 13, 2017, Miles Bridges, considered an NBA lottery pick, announced he would not enter the NBA Draft and would return to MSU as a sophomore. His return led many to project MSU as a Final Four contender for the 2017-18 season. Losing only seniors Eron Harris and Alvin Ellis III, the Spartans will return eight of their top 10 players from the prior season. Bridges was also considered a potential candidate for National Player of the Year upon the announcement of his return to Michigan State. The Spartans will return 78% of their scoring and 81% of their rebounding from the previous year.
On May 8, redshirt graduate student Ben Carter was granted a sixth year of eligibility after the NCAA granted his medical hardship waiver. The Spartans have one remaining open scholarship for the 2017-18 season.
Transfers
On May 11, 6-foot-11, 220-pound center Braden Burke announced he would transfer to Michigan State from Robert Morris and be a preferred walk-on. Burke will have to sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Remaining scholarships
After missing out on late recruiting targets (Brian Bowen, Mark Smith, and Brandon McCoy), the Spartans had one remaining open scholarship. It was confirmed on August 24, 2017, that the last remaining scholarship would be given to former walk-on Connor George, son of Cathy George, MSU's volleyball coach.
Preseason
On the first day of practice, September 29, 2017, Tom Izzo announced that Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn and Miles Bridges had been selected as captains for the team.
On October 20, MSU held its annual Midnight Madness event at Breslin Center. Tom Izzo did not dress up for the event as he had in the past, but there was a man in a black suit, green tie and extra-large head on his shoulders that was supposed to resemble Izzo. Earlier in the day, the school unveiled the $20 million Tom Izzo Hall of History inside the Breslin Center.
Jud Heathcote's death
On August 28, former MSU head coach Jud Heathcote, who led the Spartans to their first National Championship in 1979, died at the age of 90. "Michigan State has lost one of its icons today," Tom Izzo said in a statement. "And yet, nothing can erase his impact on the program, the players he coached and the coaches he mentored. Spartan basketball is what it is today because of Jud Heathcote."On September 6, 2017, Michigan State announced that it would wear a memorial patch on their uniforms during the season for former head coach Jud Heathcote who died in late August. The team also announced that the February 10, 2018 game against Purdue would be a tribute game to Heathcote.
Preseason rankings
In its preseason college preview, Lindy's Sports ranked the Spartans No. 1 in the country. The publication picked Miles Bridges as Big Ten Player of the Year and the top small forward in the country. Nick Ward was named preseason second team All-Big Ten center while Jaren Jackson Jr. was named newcomer of the year.
The Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked MSU No. 2 in its preseason rankings. The publication listed Miles Bridges as a second team All-American. Athlon Sports ranked the Spartans No. 2 in the country while ranking Bridges as the No. 1 player in the country. Ward and Jackson were selected as second team All-Big Ten and Jackson was named Big Ten newcomer of the year.
Street & Smith ranked MSU No. 3 in the country while naming Bridges first-team All-American. On September 26, NBC Sports named Miles Bridges the national preseason player of the year. On October 23, ESPN.com also named Bridges the national preseason player of the year. On November 6, Bridges was named an AP preseason All-American, receiving 61 of the possible 65 votes.
Preseason Big Ten poll
Prior to the conference's annual media day, awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of 28 writers, two for each team in the conference. Michigan State was a unanimous selection to win the conference. The Spartans' Miles Bridges was also a unanimous selection for Preseason Player of the Year.
At the Big Ten media day, the Spartans were unanimous selections to win the conference. Miles Bridges was named the Preseason Player of the Year. Nick Ward joined Bridges on the preseason All-Big Ten team.
Exhibitions
On October 23, 2017, it was announced that MSU would play Georgia in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 29 in a charity exhibition game to help raise funds for hurricane relief.
In the first exhibition game for the Spartans, MSU defeated Ferris State 80-72 on October 26. Miles Bridges left the game in the first half after falling and cutting his head, but returned in the second half. Cassius Winston led the Spartans in scoring with 24 points as MSU avoided the upset from the Division II Bulldogs. Freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. had 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight blocks in his MSU debut.
On October 29, MSU took on Georgia in hastily-planned charity exhibition game in Grand Rapids to benefit hurricane victims. With four stitches over his right eye from the cut suffered in the first exhibition game, Bridges led the Spartans with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Nick Ward had 13 points while Joshua Langford scored 11 as the Spartans won 80-68.
On November 1, it was announced that junior forward Kyle Ahrens would be out indefinitely after aggravating an injury to his right foot.
The newly-ranked No. 2 Spartans (in AP and Coaches poll) took on Division II Hillsdale on November 3 in their final exhibition game. The Spartans held Hillsdale to approximately 20% shooting as Nick Ward led the Spartans with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jaren Jackson added 13 rebounds and 12 points as MSU won easily 75-44.
Regular season
Early non-conference regular season
November
On November 10, the Spartans opened the regular season at home against North Florida. Miles Bridges scored 20 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 13 rebounds as the Spartans routed the Ospreys 98-66. Each Spartan starter scored in double figures: Nick Ward (16), Cassius Winston (12), and Joshua Langford (13). Ward made all six of his shots as the team shot 78% from the free throw line in the easy win.
In a matchup of No. 1 versus No. 2 at the Champions Classic in Chicago on November 14, the Spartans struggled with Duke's 2-3 zone. Bridges, Jackson Jr., and Ward each scored 19 points for the Spartans who shot 50% from the field in the game. However, Duke's Grayson Allen scored 37 points and MSU lost the rebound battle and allowed 25 offensive rebounds as they fell 88-81. Head coach Tom Izzo blamed himself for the loss as he fell to 1-11 all time again Duke. The loss moved MSU to 1-1 on the season.
On November 16, the school announced that forward Kenny Goins had suffered a knee strain in the Duke game and would miss several weeks due to the injury.
Also on November 16, Nike announced uniforms for those teams participating in the Phil Knight Invitational. MSU's uniforms will be green with bronze highlights.
The Spartans returned home to face Stony Brook in a campus site game for the Phil Knight Invitational on November 19. MSU struggled early, trailing by as many as eight before leading by six at the half. The Spartans pulled away in the second half, but suffered a scare as Miles Bridges went down with an ankle injury with over eight minutes remaining in the game. Bridges, who scored 20 points, did not return. Nick Ward led all scorers with 22 and Joshua Langford scored a career-high 19 in the 93-71 win. The MSU sophomores scored 74 of the team's 93 points. After the game, it was announced that Bridges was day-to-day with an ankle sprain.
On November 20, Tom Izzo announced that Bridges' x-rays were negative on his ankle and the swelling had gone down. He said that they would not know for a day or two if Bridges would miss any time.
The Spartans traveled to Portland, Oregon to participate in the Phil Knight Invitational in honor of Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday. The tournament, which began on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, ran through November 26. Miles Bridges did not play in the opening round game of the tournament on November 23 as MSU took on DePaul. The Spartans struggled in the first half and went to have timed tied at 31 with the Blue Demons. Matt McQuaid stepped up as he started for Miles Bridges and scored a career-high 20 points on six of eight shooting from behind the three-point line. The Spartans held DePaul to 25.5% shooting from the field as they pulled away in the second half for a 73-51 win.
The next day in the second round of the Phil Knight Invitational, Miles Bridges did play, but did not start as MSU struggled in the first half again, leading by only one at the half. Bridges scored only six points in 17 minutes of play, but Cassius Winston had his best game offensively as a Spartan, scoring a career-high 28 points on 12 of 15 shooting. MSU's defense again dominated the game, holding Connecticut to only 35% from the floor as the Spartans again pulled away in the second half for the 77-57 win.
In the championship game of the Victory Bracket of the Phil Kinght Invitational on November 26, the Spartans took on No. 9-ranked North Carolina looking to avoid a poor first half for the third straight game. Miles Bridges returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench against UConn in the previous game. MSU's defense was again the star of the show, holding UNC to a school-record low for shooting percentage as they shot 24.6% from the field, including 5.6% from three-point land. Joshua Langford had the big offensive game for the Spartans, scoring a career-high 23 points as the Spartans dominated from the outset and led by 14 at the half. MSU did struggle with turnovers, giving the ball up 24 times in the game. Despite that, the Spartans stretched the lead to as many as 21 in the second half, beating UNC 63-45 and marking Tom Izzo's first win over North Carolina since 2000 and first win against UNC when coached by Roy Williams. The win gave the Spartans the Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket championship and Cassius Winston was named the bracket's MVP. The win moved MSU to 5-1 on the season.
On the final day of November, the Spartans returned home to welcome No. 5-ranked Notre Dame to East Lansing, marking only the second time the teams had faced each other since 1979. The No. 3-ranked Spartans jumped out to an early lead and led by as many as 22 in the first half while enjoying a 20-point halftime lead, 46-26. Notre Dame was able to move within eight points in the second half, but the Spartans, led by Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford's 17 points each, were able to pull away for an easy win. Miles Bridges added 14 points in the 18-point win while MSU buried nine three-pointers in the 81-63 win. The win moved the Spartans to 6-1 on the season and a 2-1 record against top ten-ranked teams (only losing to Duke).
Early conference games
December
Due to the Big Ten Tournament being held one week earlier to be held at Madison Square Garden, the Spartans began conference play on December 3 against Nebraska. MSU won its sixth straight game, all by at least 18 points, in a 86-57 thrashing of Nebraska. The Spartans held Nebraska to 27% shooting from the field as the MSU defense again dominated the game. Nick Ward, who was in foul trouble, scored 22 points in only 16 minutes to lead the Spartans. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 15 with 10 rebounds and three blocks. The win moved the Spartans to 7-1 on the season and 1-0 in Big Ten play.
Two days later on December 5, the Spartans traveled to face Rutgers in New Jersey for the Spartans first true road game of the season. MSU fell behind early 8-0 to the Scarlet Knights, but managed to retake the lead midway through the first half. Rutgers rallied to tie the game at 26 at the half. In the second half, the Spartans were unable to pull away though they had the lead for most of the half as both teams struggled offensively. Miles Bridges scored 21 points while Jaren Jackson Jr. tied a single-game Spartan record with eight blocks, but MSU still needed two big three-pointers later in the game by Cassius Winston to pull out the 10-point victory, 62-52. MSU limited Rutgers to 25% shooting on the night, but only made 38% of their own shots while failing to win the rebound battle as both teams had 45 rebounds. Nick Ward, who struggled in the first half, only played a minute and a half in the second half and sat on the bench dejectedly for most of the half. Izzo said he just had a bad game. The win was the Spartans seventh in a row and left the Spartans at 8-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play.
Late non-conference regular season
December
The Spartans returned home to play Southern Utah on December 9. Nick Ward scored 17 points a week after only playing 11 minutes while Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. each added 17 as well. Despite this, the Thunderbirds were within five points of the Spartans in the second half before MSU pulled away. Jackson added 13 rebounds and five blocks while Cassius Winston scored 15 points with five assists as the Spartans won 88-63. The win, MSU's eighth in a row, moved the Spartans to 9-1 on the season.
Following losses by No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Kansas, it was likely MSU would become the No. 1 team in the country on December 11. However, Villanova was named the No. 1 team in the country in both polls, leapfrogging MSU.
On December 16, the Spartans participated in the Hitachi College Basketball Showcase held at the new Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and took on Oakland. MSU took the early lead in the game, led by Nick Ward who scored 15 points and brought down 15 rebounds in the game. The Spartans continued their strong defensive effort, holding the Grizzlies to 31.3% shooting in the first half. Despite this, MSU only led by five at the half. In the second half, Oakland's hot shooting (40% overall and 46.7% from three) kept the game close every time the Spartans tried to pull away. However, Cassius Winston took over the Spartans, scoring the final 14 points for MSU as the Spartans pulled away for an 86-73 win. Winston scored 19 in the game to lead MSU, but committed six turnovers. Miles Bridges added 11 points while Josh Langford tallied 17. Jaren Jackson Jr. blocked four shots and scored 10 in the win. The win moved MSU to 16-0 all-time against Oakland. MSU won its ninth game in the row and moved to 10-1 on the season.
Returning home, the Spartans welcomed Houston Baptist the Breslin Center on December 18. Miles Bridges tied a career high with 33 points while Nick Ward was perfect from the field in scoring 20 points. The Spartans set a school record with 16 blocks in the game, Jaren Jackson Jr. had six while Ward had five. The Spartans had 30 assists on 36 made baskets while Cassius Winston also set a career high with 12 assists. MSU again played well defensively, holding HBU to 31.6% shooting while Tom Izzo's team shot 70% in the first half. Houston would finish the game at 28.4% in the game as the Spartans kept up their nation-leading field goal defense. MSU blew out the Huskies 107-62, the most points the Spartans had scored since 2011, moving to 11-1 on the season. Despite the easy win, Izzo was disappointed with the Spartans' performance, especially with the fact that HBU out-rebounded MSU on the offensive glass 24-10.
On December 21, Long Beach State had no better luck against the Spartans in East Lansing. Miles Bridges scored 17 points and had nine rebounds while Josh Langford also scored 17. Cassius Winston dished out eight assists to go along with 13 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 13 points and four blocks. Nick Ward continued his torrid shooting, making seven of his eight shots (making 17 of his last 18 shots) to score 16 in a 102-60 romp over the 49ers. Tom Izzo felt better about his team's performance, but still was upset with the team's 12 turnover, nine coming in the first half. The Spartans scored over 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004. The win marked MSU's 11th straight, moving their record to 12-1 on the season.
On December 28, the Spartans welcomed Cleveland State to the Breslin Center. The Spartans left little doubt in this game as they jumped to an early 32-6 lead on the Vikings. MSU made its first seven shots of the game and shot 72.4% from the field in the first half, leading 63-25 at the half. The 63 points scored in the first half is believed to be the most scored in any half under Tom Izzo. Josh Langford scored 23 to lead the Spartans as they topped 100 points for the third consecutive game, winning easily 111-61. The Spartans continued their strong defensive play, holding Cleveland State to just 32% shooting in the game. Nick Ward made seven of his eight shots, scoring 22 points while Miles Bridges added 18. The win moved the Spartans to 13-1 on the season with one non-conference game remaining.
On New Year's Eve, Savannah State traveled to East Lansing for the Spartans final non-conference game of the season. MSU jumped to an early lead as Savannah State, number one in the country in three-point attempts, struggled early. However, the Tigers got hot near the midpoint of the first half and kept the score close. The Spartans turned the ball over 10 times in the first ten minutes of the game, but were still able to lead by 13 at half time, 51-38. MSU turned it on in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 57-14, including a 32-0 stretch to close the game and win 108-52. The Spartans scored over 100 points for the fourth game in a row, the longest streak in school history. Miles Bridges had a career-high 21 rebounds, the most by a Spartan since 1976; his 19 defensive rebounds tied the mark set by Antonio Smith in 1997. Nick Ward scored 21 points to lead the Spartans and added 10 rebounds. Ward went nine for nine from the floor on the night and has made 32 of his last 34 shots in the last four games. Cassius Winston dished out a career-high 13 assists to go with his 16 points in the blowout. The win moved the Spartans 14-1 on the season and on the verge of being named the number one team in the country following a loss by Villanova.
Conference regular season
On January 1, 2018, the Spartans were named the number one team in the country in the weekly AP poll. On January 2, MSU was also named number one in the weekly coaches' poll.
January
On January 4, the Spartans welcomed Maryland to East Lansing as conference play resumed. Maryland started well, shooting over 60% from the field in the first 10 minutes of the game. MSU, however, used a 15-0 run near the end of the first half to take a 13-point lead at the half. MSU continued its strong play in the second half, routing the Terrapins 91-61. The Spartans made 16 of 28 three-point attempts while also hitting on 16 of 28 two-point shots. Jaren Jackson Jr. hit five threes, while Kenny Goins made his first career three-point basket, hitting a second three-pointer a few minutes later. Nick Ward continued his strong play, missing only two shots while scoring a team-leading 16 points. Miles Bridges contributed 15 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Cassius Winston had eight assists as the Spartans had assists on 30 of their 32 field goals. Maryland ended up shooting only 37.7% from the field while the Spartans shot 57.1%. The Spartans did turn the ball over seven times in the game, though six of those occurred in the first half. The win marked MSU's 14th straight win and their seventh straight game scoring over 80 points. MSU remained in first place in the Big Ten with a 3-0 record, moving to 15-1 overall.
MSU took to the road for only the second time on the season, traveling to face Ohio State on January 7. MSU started well, taking an 11-4 lead before Ohio State battled back. A close game for most of the first half, the Buckeyes took a 12-point lead to the half behind some good shooting and a buzzer-beating three as the half ended. MSU failed to respond in the second half as the Buckeyes continued their run, pushing the lead to as many as 23. MSU, shooting over 50% on the season, shot only 39% from the field in the game while OSU shot over 52% in the 80-64 blowout. Nick Ward only attempted one shot for the Spartans and settled for three points in the game. Miles Bridges had 17, but did not shoot well, making only seven of 19 shots. Josh Langford added 17 as well, but it was not enough for the Spartans who turned the ball over 12 times. After assisting on 30 of 32 baskets against Maryland, the Spartans only had 13 assists on 23 made baskets in the loss. The loss dropped the Spartans out of first place in the Big Ten and dropped them from the number 1 ranking in the country as they fell to 15-2, 3-1 overall.
On January 10, Rutgers will travel to face the Spartans at the Breslin Center.
Roster
Depth chart
Schedule and results
The 2018 Big Ten Tournament will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York. Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten Tournament will take place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday. This could result in teams having nearly two weeks off before the NCAA Tournament. As a result, it the Big Ten regular season will begin in early Dec. A previously-scheduled road game against Florida was moved to the 2018-19 season due to scheduling conflicts.
Source
Player statistics
Source
Rankings
^Coaches Poll did not release a Week 2 poll at the same time AP did.
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.
Awards and honors
In-season awards
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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