Michigan State vs. Buffalo: 2022-23 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Ryan Kay
Michigan State and Buffalo play each other in the last game for both teams in 2022. Can the Bulls pull off the upset by defeating the Spartans on the road? Or does Michigan State defeat Buffalo for their ninth win of the season going into Big Ten conference play?
TV Schedule: Friday, December 30, 6:00 PM ET, Big Ten Network
Location: Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI
Team Profiles heading into this game
. team. 486. . 8-4. . Spartans
Michigan State
Best Wins: Kentucky (86-77), Oregon (74-70), and Villanova (73-71), at Penn State (67-58)
Notable Defeats: Gonzaga (63-64), Alabama (70-81), Northwestern (63-70), at Notre Dame (52-70), and Northwestern (63-70)
RPI Ranking: 41
KenPom Ranking: 44
College Basketball Power Index Ranking: 67
Sagarin Ranking: 43
Net Ranking: 67
Quadrant 1 Wins: Two
Quadrant 2 Victories: One
Quadrant 3 Wins: Two
Buffalo
Best Wins: George Mason (82-74), Colgate (88-87), and St. Bonaventure (83-66)
Notable Defeats: At West Virginia (78-96), Tulane (63-88), Drake (72-80), James Madison (62-97), and at UConn (64-84)
RPI Ranking: 181
KenPom Ranking: 190
College Basketball Power Index Ranking: 213
Sagarin Ranking: 163
Net Ranking: 202
Quadrant 1 Wins: Zero
Quadrant 2 Victories: Zero
Quadrant 3 Wins: One
Michigan State is going into this contest on a three-game winning streak looking to make it four straight victories heading into Big Ten conference play. The Spartans will see Malik Hall return to the court as he last played on Nov 18 against Villanova. Hall will likely see limited playing time but his presence on the floor will be greatly appreciated especially on the defensive end for the Spartans.
Michigan State also had a member of its team very recently rejoin the team from last season in Keon Coleman who is a starting wide receiver for the Spartans football team. It is doubtful that he plays against Buffalo but his participation in practices is needed as Michigan State only has ten scholarship players on this season’s roster.
The Spartans are led by its leading scorer and senior starter Joey Hauser who is averaging 14.1 points per game as well as 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Michigan State has nine players who average more than ten minutes a game and the Spartans will look to have a great start to this game and win comfortably in their last non-conference game of the season.
Buffalo has had a roller coaster of a season as they defeated Colgate in their season opener, a team that would later win at Syracuse, and then the Bulls lost their next four games. To be fair in that four-game span, they lost to three teams in the top 85 of the Net rankings. Buffalo would then go on a four-game winning streak with impressive wins against George Mason in the Paradise Jam tournament in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and a home victory against St. Bonaventure in which both of those teams are members of the Atlantic 10 conference. Then the Bulls lost two straight games against respectable teams before the last game in which they defeated a non-division one opponent.
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The Bulls are led by sophomore guard Curtis Jones who is averaging 14.8 points per game as well as 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists as well. Buffalo has six players averaging over eight points a game but only has two players averaging double digits in scoring. In order for the Bulls to pull off the upset, they must find a way to slow down the game and limit the Spartans’ ability to score in transition.
Prediction: Michigan State 91, Buffalo 77