Michigan State Basketball: 2022-23 season preview and outlook for Spartans
By Joey Loose
Schedule Outlook
The Spartans start the year at home against Northern Arizona but then engage on a murderer’s row of a schedule. They’ll travel to San Diego to play Gonzaga in the Armed Forces Classic. Four days later, the Spartans are in Indianapolis, taking on Kentucky as part of the Champions Classic. Their next game is part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, where they’ll face Villanova, though that game will at least come at home.
If that wasn’t enough, the Spartans will then head to Portland for the Phil Knight Invitational. Their first-round matchup is a strong Alabama program and then they’ll get either Connecticut or Oregon in round two. After those matchups, they could be getting another shot at Villanova, or perhaps a date with North Carolina if the games fall their way. Clearly, the first month or so of their season is filled with massive matchups.
The Spartans get back on the road, taking on Notre Dame at South Bend as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Then they get Big Ten play started, with a home date against Northwestern and a road trip to Penn State. After two very winnable conference games, nonconference play concludes with three straight home dates against mid-majors, a much-deserved break in this schedule.
Big Ten play starts with home dates against Nebraska and Michigan, making a 4-0 start very possible. But they’ll travel to Wisconsin and Illinois in mid-January and face a number of difficult matchups throughout conference play. They’ll head to Indiana on January 22nd and be at Purdue a week later. There’s no home date with Illinois or Wisconsin, but the season does conclude at home against Ohio State on March 4th.