Michigan State vs Baylor moved to 2 p.m.; Tyson Walker feeling stronger; Kohler's return coming

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State’s game against Baylor on Saturday, Dec. 16 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit has been moved to 2 p.m. The game, billed as the Continental Tire Motor City Invitational, was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. 

The game, promoted and run by bdG Sports, will be televised by Fox.

According to a Michigan State press release, “the network moved the tip time to earlier in the afternoon. The National Football League’s flex schedule moved the Detroit Lions game against the Denver Broncos to 8:15 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit.”

Tickets for the Michigan State vs Baylor game are available at the Little Caesars Arena website and Ticketmaster.com.  

The game at Little Caesars Arena will mark the final major nonconference game of the regular season for Michigan State. Michigan State (4-3) has dropped competitive decisions to No. 7 Duke (74-65) and No. 2 Arizona (74-68) this year, in addition to a 79-76 upset loss to James Madison in the season opener on Nov. 6.

Michigan State’s best nonconference win thus far is a 74-54 victory over Butler on Nov. 17. Butler is 6-2. 

The Spartans will open Big Ten play with two conference opponents next week, at home against Wisconsin on Tuesday, and at Nebraska on Sunday. Michigan State will resume nonconference play with games against Oakland (Dec. 18), Stony Brook (Dec. 21) and Indiana State (Dec. 30) before getting back into Big Ten play on Jan. 4.

Following a victory over Georgia Southern on Nov. 28, Michigan State has been on a bye week. 

“I think it gives us a little break from playing other people and constantly worrying about other peoples’ stuff and gives us a chance to work on ourselves,” senior forward Malik Hall said after Friday’s practice. 

Senior guard Tyson Walker said he welcomed the bye week. He missed Michigan State’s Nov. 19 game against Alcorn State with an illness and has been slow to recover.

“I definitely feel a lot better,” Walker said on Friday. “I wasn’t nowhere near 100 percent, in how I was feeling when we played Arizona. I definitely feel way better. It’s just taking time, it’s not going to happen overnight, being sick. Just doing everything I can do to feel better.

“I gained all my weight back. It’s just good to be off. Can’t complain. I’m back to laughing and stuff.”

Michigan State is expecting a return from sophomore center Jaxon Kohler in the next three weeks. Kohler has been out since mid-October with a foot injury. He is moving around without a brace, and wore a smile while shooting around on Friday, sporting a new faux hawk haircut.

It remains to be seen whether Kohler will be back in time for the Baylor game, but teammates are eager for his return. 

“It’s definitely going to help,” Walker said. “It’s not going to be right away because he hasn’t played in two months. But roles might change a little bit, minutes might change, but it’s definitely going to be for the better. We need Jaxon. He’s a hell of a player.”

Hall has been counseling Kohler on his return. 

“I talk to Jax the most of all the players about the different stages you go through when you’re coming back from injury,” Hall said. “It’s really difficult just because you think a lot of things are different than they really are, but aren’t. It’s hard to grasp your head around that. That’s something I’ve been talking to him about. 

“Quite honestly you don’t even know how you’re feeling. Last year if you would have asked me if I was 100 percent when I came back the second time, I would have been like, ‘Yes.’ But we didn’t even known until after the season that I was only 50 percent. So you never really know.”