3 Predictions for Michigan State's Detroit Clash with Oakland

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Dec 20, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Michigan State vs. Oakland is almost like a holiday on the Spartans' non-conference schedule. It comes pretty much every single year now, like me procrastinating on my Christmas shopping.

The holiday has also come with some holiday cheer for MSU, and a whole lot of coal for the Golden Grizzlies. Michigan State is 23-0 all-time against Oakland, and the Spartans and Tom Izzo are putting that record on the line against Greg Kampe's Grizzlies again.

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

How will the game go? Who knows, but it's always fun to guess! Here are three things that I think will end up happening during the Spartans' game against Oakland.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

OK, this one really isn't a prediction. Izzo seemed to confirm there will be Christmas sweaters on the sidelines this year, but no brave investigative journalist has figured out the type of sweaters the two long-tenured coaches will be wearing. That'll be the light-hearted surprise on Saturday.

"It's OK," Izzo joked about the new tradition on Thursday. "I feel like an idiot half the time. How would you like to be the Grinch and get a [technical foul]?"

Both Sides Struggle from Deep

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, back to some actual basketball talk. Both Michigan State and Oakland are decent three-point shooting teams. The Spartans' 36.5% clip from deep is 77th nationally, as of Friday, while Oakland's 34.9% rate is 133rd out of 361 full D-I members.

Games like these can be a little challenging for teams, since the game is being played in an NBA arena. Not to get too nerdy or sciencey, but when shooting a basketball, people subconsciously use what they see behind the backboard as a reference to how far away the rim is. The seats there will be further away, as Little Caesars Arena is a larger arena, which messes with the players' depth perception. MSU has historically shot poorly at Madison Square Garden, for example. This may be a reason why.

What also does not help is that the NBA three-point line will also be visible on the court, which is a few feet further back than the college line. The Pistons play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, so there is no time to alter the court much. Izzo said this was an issue in last year's game, since players are just used to shooting from the furthest line that they see.

"We noticed, watching the film from last year's game, that the kids got a little screwed up," Izzo said. "We must have taken eight threes from beyond the NBA three [line]. There were two lines there. So we get a little screwed up; the NBA's blue, and the other one's white."

More Rebounding Dominance

Michigan State had a plus-30 rebounding margin against Toledo on Tuesday, and there is a good chance something similar happens on Saturday.

Just in the average margins, the Spartans average a plus-13.6 rebounding advantage, which is third in the country. Oakland is 302nd at minus-2.7.

The Golden Grizzlies actually won the rebounding battle against Purdue, who didn't have Trey Kaufmann-Renn, earlier this season, but have been at best minus-10 against their other three power conference opponents (Michigan, Houston, and UCF).

We'll see what kind of rebounding philosophy Oakland tries, but trying to be MSU straight-up on the glass probably will not be the way.