• What: Michigan State vs. Colgate
• When: 7 p.m. Monday
• Where: Breslin Center
• TV/Radio: Streaming of Big Ten Network-Plus/Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; SiriusXM Ch. 195
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• Records/Rankings: This is the season opener for both teams. Neither team is ranked.
• Betting line: N/A
• Coaches: Michigan State — Tom Izzo is 736-302 entering his 31st season as a head coach, all with the Spartans. Colgate — Matt Langel is 241-203 entering his 15th season as a head coach, all with the Raiders.
• Series: MSU is 5-1 all-time against Colgate, though these two programs haven’t met since 1933.
Projected lineups
MSU
C (15) Carson Cooper (6-11) 5.0*
F (0) Jaxon Kohler (6-9) 7.8*
F (55) Coen Carr (6-5) 8.1*
G (2) Kur Teng (6-4) 0.5*
PG (1) Jeremy Fears Jr. (6-2) 7.2*
*2024-25 scoring average
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Colgate
C (33) Sam Wright (6-9) 5.7
PF (10) Parker Jones (6-6) 8.3
G (1) Brady Cummins (6-6) 8.2*
G (13) Kyle Carlesimo (6-2) 4.3*
G (3) Jalen Cox (6-3) 11.9*
*2024-25 scoring average
• MSU update: The Spartans are coming off a season in which they won the Big Ten by three games and reached the Elite Eight. It was the best run for the program since the pandemic and restored hope that Tom Izzo hadn’t lost his fastball. They enter the season trying to replace a ton of backcourt production — having lost Jase Richardson (NBA’s Orlando Magic), Jaden Akins (G-League’s Motor City Cruise) and Tre Holloman (N.C. State). The Spartans are hoping that returners Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper all takes steps in becoming impact players, and that they get enough production at shooting guard from sophomore Kur Teng, transfer Trey Fort and freshman Jordan Scott. The returns from the two exhibition games were mixed. But those are exhibition games. The season starts for real now. We’ll get a good sense of this team beginning Monday night against Colgate and then through a first five weeks that features games against Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke.
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• Colgate update: Before last season, the Raiders had been the class of the Patriot League for several years, making five straight NCAA tournaments from 2019 to 2024. In 2022, they played Wisconsin tough in a first-round NCAA tournament loss, falling 67-60. Colgate finished 14-19 a year ago and 10-8 in league play. Led by junior guard Jalen Cox, the Raiders are seen by smart folks who know that conference as being a good bet to return to the top of the Patriot League. Colgate’s most famous basketball alum is center Adonal Foyle, who was the eighth-overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1997 NBA draft.
• Matchup analysis: MSU should have a sizable rebounding edge in this game. If the Spartans don’t, they’ve got a problem. Colgate essentially plays four guards/wings around 6-foot-9 forward Sam Wright. Colgate will go as guard Jalen Cox goes. He was inconsistent as a sophomore but is a dangerous player at their level as a scorer and creator. Wing Brady Cummins should also be able to hold his own against MSU. Colgate has some shooters, too, including Kyle Carlesimo, the son of former Seton Hall and NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo. It’ll be interesting to see how Colgate coach Matt Langel plays this game. He’s known for being willing to adjust his style to match an opponent. He won’t want MSU to be able to get out and run. That’ll be hard to stop if the Spartans dominate the glass.
• Prediction: The best versions of Colgate over the last five or so years might give the Spartans some trouble on the right night. I think MSU will be too physical on the glass and in the paint for this Colgate team, as long as the Spartans defend the perimeter.
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• Make it: MSU 78, Colgate 64
— Graham Couch
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball vs. Colgate: Prediction, preview, how to watch, stream
