Michigan State basketball gets new test with first true road game

EAST LANSING — For the first time this season, Michigan State basketball will face two new circumstances.

Playing after a loss. And playing a true road game.

The ninth-ranked Spartans, coming off a home loss to No. 3 Duke, resume Big Ten play against Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Dec. 13 (noon, Big Ten Network).

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“We have concerns like we always do,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said after practice Thursday. “But they get a little more because of the circumstances we’re dealt with. … Hopefully, we’re over our little hangover of losing that game at home.”

Here is a look at what to expect from the final Big Ten game of 2025 for MSU (8-1, 1-0) against the surging Nittany Lions (8-2, 0-1).

Fueling a fire

Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler posts up against Penn State during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

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MSU has been off for finals this week following Saturday’s 66-60 loss to the Blue Devils at Breslin Center, a nationally televised opportunity both Izzo and his players felt they let slip. It spoiled the Spartans’ season-opening eight-game win streak that included neutral-court wins over Kentucky and North Carolina and a home victory over Arkansas.

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But falling at home for the first time since Feb. 11 to Indiana – MSU’s only loss last season at Breslin – also has amplified motivation.

“You can tell that everybody is excited for the next game,” senior forward Jaxon Kohler said after Thursday’s practice. “Everybody just can’t wait to get back there on the floor against another team and kind of right our wrongs. That Duke loss gave us a fire.”

With his team once again an opponent during a T-shirt giveaway, Izzo is expecting a raucous environment at the typically staid Bryce Jordan Center. Much like how his team got an energy boost with the public introduction of football coach Pat…

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Publish date : 2025-12-13 10:07:00

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