Virginia Tech vs. Michigan State: 2019-20 Maui Invitational game preview, TV schedule

Unbeaten Virginia Tech and highly rated Michigan State will collide on Monday in beautiful Hawaii as part of the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

TV schedule: Monday, November 25, 5:00 pm ET. ESPN2.
Arena: Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii.

Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia Tech will entertain the powerhouse Michigan State basketball squad on Monday at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii. It’s an opening-round affair of the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational, one of the best early stanza events that this year also features crews like Dayton, Georgia, No. 4 Kansas and UCLA.

The Spartans (3-1), expected by national pundits to capture the Big Ten Conference regular-term title and make a deep run in the 2020 March Madness, are ranked No. 3 in the country, as of last week’s Associated Press top-25 ballot. Michigan State’s lone setback to date in 2019-20 came on Nov. 6 in New York City, when then-No. 2 Kentucky conquered the then-No. 1 Spartans, 69-62.

Since that upset, Michigan State has won three in a row, including a thrilling 76-73 road victory on Nov. 14 against then-No. 12 Seton Hall, a meeting that entailed a pair of the premier players across collegiate hoops in All-American candidates Myles Powell, a senior guard with the Pirates, and Cassius Winston, a senior guard for the Spartans.

The Hokies (5-0), meanwhile, are off to an impressive start in 2019-20 under new head coach Mike Young, who previously did a tremendous job during his 17-campaign tenure at Wofford. Virginia Tech went on a solid journey in the NCAA Tournament held this past spring, falling by two heart-breaking points to No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16. The Blue Devils, subsequently, got ousted in the Elite Eight by No. 2 seed Michigan State, propelling the Spartans to the Final Four.

Young possesses a present line-up that is vastly different from a stanza ago, due to the Hokies seeing a significant amount of scoring depart via graduation, transferring, and guys leaving to pursue professional opportunities.

For those reasons, the ACC preseason poll placed Virginia Tech at No. 14 out of 15 total units, yet the Hokies have commenced 2019-20 with five-consecutive successes, of Clemson, Coppin State, Delaware State, Lehigh and South Carolina Upstate. It’s true that this hasn’t exactly proven a brutal calendar for Virginia Tech so far, and the Hokies will certainly have their hands full with Michigan State.

From a statistical perspective, Virginia Tech and the Spartans are fairly identical in a lot of attributes, although a legitimate case supports that Michigan State has faced tougher competition. Both groups are averaging 80-plus points per contest and allowing fewer than 60 points on defense. Field-goal and free-throw shooting percentages, rebounding, assists, blocks, steals and turnovers committed are relatively even.

The main disparities are that the Hokies connect on a much better percentage from beyond the arc, and, frankly, the Spartans have superior talent. This duo of programs has only squared off once before, when Michigan State throttled Virginia Tech, 96-77, on Nov. 22, 2013. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that the Spartans own an 81.6 percent chance to prevail, and I believe that Michigan State will take care of business in a delightful encounter.

Prediction: Michigan State 84 – Virginia Tech 72