Although Michigan State basketball has no more ranked teams left on the non-conference schedule, it won’t be a cakewalk.
Michigan State basketball is at the point in its season where they usually have a few tune-up games before conference play begins full-time. That, however, isn’t necessarily the case this year. The Spartans have three home games before they return to Big Ten action, but these will not be easy.
Outside of our dominant win over Baylor, we haven’t looked too good this season. But that isn’t the only reason this next stretch might be tougher than you’d expect. Our next three games, even though they are against mid-majors, will not be easy wins like we’re used to.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies
Michigan State’s first opponent in this stretch is in-state foe Oakland. The Grizzlies are a familiar opponent for the Spartans, so they definitely have that in their favor. But there are a few reasons this game will be difficult.
First of all, it always seems like Oakland plays MSU tough. Maybe it’s because the Spartans play them almost every year, but for whatever reason they usually give us a little scare. Second is the fact that the Spartans have no time to rest after the emotional win over Baylor. The Oakland game is only two days after the Baylor win, which is not much time to celebrate, move on, and prepare for another opponent.
Lastly, Oakland is a decent team this year. It is only 6-5, but it has really challenged some good teams this year. Oakland only lost to Ohio State and Illinois by six and 11 points, respectively. They also beat a Power Six opponent in Xavier which is a big win for Oakland.
Michigan State is going to have to be fully focused if they’re gonna win this game.
Stony Brook Seawolves
First off, Seawolves are an elite mascot. Have to give credit where it’s due. That’s the only good thing I’m able to say about Stony Brook, though. Unlike the other two teams in this stretch, Stony Brook is not a good team. The Seawolves currently sit at 5-5 as well and have no quality wins on their resume.
They also have only played two Power Six opponents this year in St. John’s and Nebraska. Both of those games were blowout losses for the Seawolves. The other two games in this stretch will be challenging, but this one shouldn’t be. I will say that we still have a long way to go before I feel confident we are a consistently good team. So anything is possible right now. But a loss to Stony Brook would be shocking.
Indiana State Sycamores
Indian State may be the best team in this stretch. The Sycamores currently sit at 10-1 on the season with their lone loss being to Alabama — 10-1 is a good record no matter who you are, but how impressive is this really?
As mentioned, their only loss came to Alabama where they lost by a whopping 22 points. This is the only Power Six opponent the Sycamores have faced this season, so that shows their record isn’t as strong as you might think. They also have a few close wins to some subpar teams as well, further showing they may not be as strong as a 10-1 record implies.
Regardless of that, this team has proven they know how to win games and this will be a difficult game to win nonetheless.
Michigan State basketball needs to rack up some wins. There is no better time to do so than when you have three mid-major teams come to East Lansing in a row. They have a chance to get to 8-5 which would have all of Spartan Nation feeling a lot better about the season. It won’t be easy, but the Spartans have to win all three games.
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