Michigan State basketball heads west with youth movement in full swing

EAST LANSING – The last time Michigan State basketball went on the road didn’t go as planned. Neither did the Spartans’ last trip to the West Coast.

Tom Izzo hopes that will change this weekend as No. 12 MSU embarks on its first trip to the Pacific Northwest for Big Ten play.

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The Spartans (15-2, 5-1) open their two-game swing at Washington (10-7, 2-4) on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is 6 p.m. ET at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle (BTN).

“It’s a business trip. We got a lot of things we gotta get done if we’re gonna contend for anything,” Izzo said Thursday morning before the team took off for a six-day trip that also includes a game Tuesday at Oregon. “This is where, at this time of year, I either see an upswing or a downswing. Very few teams stay the same at this time of year. You’re either moving in one direction or the other.”

Here’s what to watch for Saturday’s game against the Huskies and the extended trip to Washington and Oregon:

RELATED Michigan State basketball at Washington tipoff: Matchup analysis and a prediction

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Heading west

Jan 9, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) shoots a three-point shot against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

Last year, when the Big Ten expanded, the Spartans took their perfect conference record with them on a five-day trip to Los Angeles for games with USC and UCLA. They returned with a pair of losses that turned into three in four games – with Oregon providing a staunch test at Breslin Center in MSU’s in-between-losses victory.

“The most important thing I learned – I’d like to go there and win two games instead of lose two games,” Izzo said after Tuesday’s 81-60 home win over Indiana, which handed the Spartans their only other Big Ten loss last year. “There was no fault in how we prepared things and how we traveled, it was all class and we do a good…

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Publish date : 2026-01-17 12:36:00

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