Michigan State getting healthier as it preps for Buffalo and beyond

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State’s schedule will return to a bit of normalcy when the Spartans (8-4, 1-1) host the Buffalo Bulls (6-6) on Friday at 6:00 p.m. (BTN). The game will mark Michigan State’s final test of the non-conference schedule, before it gets into the thick of Big Ten play. 

While conference foes are sure to provide head coach Tom Izzo’s team with plenty of challenges, the return to a more consistent game schedule will give Michigan State more practice time to prepare for them. That’s something the team didn’t have until the recent holiday break.

“I’m trying to figure out where we are,” Izzo said. “Of all the things we went through, that week after the Portland game was a disaster. We played – well, we didn’t even play – we showed up at Notre Dame, and we did not play great against Northwestern, but I still give them credit because I think they are a good team. But that week, if you look at our stats, if you look at everything, it was bad. And I have to take some blame for that in the scheduling and when it all happened. But other than that, I feel good about where we are.”

For now, Michigan State is focused on Buffalo. The Bulls, coached by Jim Whitesell, have yet to play a Mid-American Conference opponent, though they have competed against a few Power-Five foes in Connecticut and West Virginia, losing both games. Buffalo’s best win was a 83-66 victory over St. Bonaventure on Dec. 3. 

“This is a pretty good team,” Izzo said. “They were four down with a few minutes left at West Virginia. They beat St. Bonaventure, who beat the heck out of Notre Dame. This is an athletic, driving team, a good team and well-coached. They have one bad loss, and I don’t know how bad that was, [against] Howard, and that’s it.”

The Bulls are led by sophomore guard Curtis Jones (6-5, 180), who’s averaging 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists on the season. Jones has scored in double-figures in eight of Buffalo’s 12 games, with his season-high of 32 points coming against St. Bonaventure. That marked his fourth-consecutive game of 20 or more points. 

Jones is shooting 46.9 percent from the field (36 percent from three) on the season. 

Buffalo’s second-leading scorer is junior guard Zid Powell (6-4, 195), with 12.7 points per game. Isaiah Adams (6-6, 210), a junior forward who transferred in from Central Florida, is averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Bulls. 

Michigan State point guard A.J. Hoggard said he thinks an athletic team like Buffalo could provide the Spartans with a solid mid-major test before the conference schedule begins. 

“They match up and prepare us [for the Big Ten schedule] well,” Hoggard said. “They’re a really hard-nosed team, another big team. The Big Ten’s very physical, they’re a very physical team. They play the dribble-drive really well. They’re very athletic. They have some high-major transfers as well, so they’re going to be a tough matchup for us and we’re just going to have to come out there and put our game to the test.

“We know that the Big Ten season’s near. We’re not looking past Buffalo, but we know that we have to prepare for it. And we know that once we get going again, starting with Buffalo, that it’s going to be a continuous thing every couple of days, so we just have to get back into season mode and get ready to play.”

Izzo said on Wednesday that senior forward Malik Hall is expected to return against Buffalo. Hall has been out of the lineup with a foot injury that he sustained in practice before the game against Alabama on Thanksgiving day. 

Also returning for Michigan State is Keon Coleman, a true sophomore wide receiver on Mel Tucker’s football team. The dual-sport athlete received mostly mop-up minutes on the basketball team as a freshman last year, but his athletic prowess and Michigan State’s lack of depth could mean Coleman plays more down the road. 

For now, Izzo plans to ease him into things. Coleman practiced on Wednesday, his third day of practice with the team. Izzo said he’d like to speak with members of the football staff before determining what Coleman’s role with the basketball team will be. 

“I love Keon,” Izzo said. “I love him. But it’s also going to come down to what Mel and them want as they start. I’m going to talk to Courtney Hawkins a little bit more. I knew he [Coleman] wanted to come back, but I was a little surprised when he came back. That kind of speaks volumes on who he is and what he is.

“I’m really pleased with Keon, but what’s going to happen is still up to me, him and Mel, number one. Number two, I think it’s been great because he came back and he’s already made an impression on some guys like TK [Thomas Kelley] or Jon [Borovich] who weren’t here because he goes hard, he plays hard and he loves the game. And that’s what I love about him.”

Izzo is hoping his team is more refreshed and focused for Buffalo than they were for Oakland. As demanding as the November schedule was, Michigan State will need to be equally as sharp coming off an extended break as they were during a tough month of travel and games. 

“This will be a good time for Jaden [Akins],” Izzo said. “I need to see more out of Pierre [Brooks]. Pierre’s the other key guy for us, and he has to come along. I still think Jaxon [Kohler] is making some progress. I looked at a lot of film with Mady [Sissoko] of his early part of the year compared to the late part of the year, a lot of it was just aggressiveness, getting more shots, but him making himself available.”

A return to normalcy after a hectic first two months may be the secret to Michigan State’s success in the coming weeks, as challenging as the Big Ten schedule will be. Izzo said his team is looking forward to the change of pace.

“I think guys came back, for the most part, definitely wanting to be here,” Izzo said. “That’s always hard, when you come back on the 26th after Christmas. So I’m enjoying where I’m at right now. And then I watched a lot of games and I watched a lot of our games over the holiday and I still see a lot of good teams, I don’t see a lot of great teams. So why shouldn’t we be one of the teams? That’s the way I’m looking at it.”