GABE BROWN

Michigan and Michigan State will be represented at next week’s NBA G League Elite Camp. Michigan’s Eli Brooks and Michigan State’s Gabe Brown will be among the 44 NBA draft prospects who will attend the event, held at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on May 16 and 17, the G League announced on Monday. NBA and G League coaches, scouts, and front-office executives will witness the players compete in five-on-five games and participate in strength and agility drills. A handful of the top performers will be invited to the NBA draft combine held at the same building May 18-22. Brown, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound wing, was a four-year player at Michigan State and started all 36 games as a senior.

EAST LANSING – Two of Michigan State’s 2021-22 seniors have already announced that they’re moving on to professional basketball, in Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. Spartans forward Joey Hauser has yet to decide between turning pro and returning to Michigan State for another season, he told TV station WSAW in his home state of Wisconsin this week. “There’s always the option of going back to Michigan State. He added that his brother, Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser, is in favor of him returning to college. He went through Michigan State’s senior day ceremonies in March but said at the time he was undecided about his plans beyond this year.

Less than a week after Michigan State finished its season, the first significant decision of the offseason has been reached. Spartans forward Gabe Brown will turn pro and forego a fifth year of eligibility, a school spokesperson confirmed on Saturday morning. Brown isn’t likely to hear his name called in the NBA Draft in June; he’s rated No. Michigan State has two other seniors deciding between fifth years at Michigan State and turning pro: center Marcus Bingham Jr. and forward Joey Hauser. Michigan State’s season ended on Sunday with a second-round NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of Duke.

The moment of opening my preseason Michigan State basketball predictions post in late March always holds a bit of dread. But to be fair, there was plenty about this Michigan State basketball season that wasn’t expecting. After a hesitant start and some adjustment to major college basketball, Walker had a solid first season at Michigan State. In two seasons on the court for Michigan State, Hauser struggled to be a consistent part of Michigan State’s offense. Prediction: Michigan State will lose three non-conference gamesOutcome: WrongMichigan State lost the two I felt confident it would, to Baylor and Kansas.

Now we’ve got to take another step.”While they didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet, some of Michigan State’s underclassmen had their moments in the Spartans’ two-game NCAA Tournament run. Michigan State has enough scholarships for all to return, but those players have mostly sounded in recent weeks as if they’ll be moving on. After having no transfers for four years, Michigan State lost four players to transfer after last season. But if Michigan State brings back all of its underclassmen, it has the nucleus of a potentially improved team in 2022-23. If Michigan State looks to add from the transfer portal, the frontcourt appears to be the most likely area to do so.

GREENVILLE, S.C. – For 35 minutes, Michigan State did everything it wanted to do in its biggest game of the season. When Marcus Bingham Jr. hit a pair of free throws at the 5:10 mark, Michigan State took a five-point lead and had all the momentum. “We were so good in the last part of the game,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Those Duke players hurt Michigan State mostly by driving past Spartans perimeter players into the paint and making difficult finishes. “Take a little better shots a couple times.

Duke survived a tense finish against Michigan State and extended Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament run.

Michigan State battled back in the second half but faded in the final three minutes in a 85-76 loss to Duke on Sunday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Michigan State trailed through the entire second half before it tied the game with 6:09 left on a pair of free throws from A.J. Michigan State was blocked on back-to-back shots during that late stretch, then turned the ball over after Roach’s 3-pointer. Michigan State had one of its best 3-point shooting games of the season, hitting 11 of 22 3-pointers, including seven in the first half. Senior Gabe Brown led Michigan State with 18 points and made four 3-pointers.

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Joey Hauser scored a career-high 27 points and Michigan State edged Davidson 74-73 on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.

INDIANAPOLIS – Now, Michigan State waits. The Spartans will find out their NCAA Tournament draw on Sunday evening during the 6 p.m. selection show broadcast on CBS. Michigan State was widely projected as a No. Michigan State came here to Indianapolis after a 3-7 finish to the regular season, tied for its worst 10-game finish to a regular season in the Izzo era. All those factors have Michigan State players and coaches singing a different tune than they were a week ago as they wait to find out what’s next.

Jaden Ivey had 22 points and 19 rebounds and Eric Hunter Jr. made two back-breaking 3-pointers late to help No. 9 Purdue beat seventh-seeded Michigan State 75-70 in the second Big Ten Tournament semifinal.

Spartans senior Gabe Brown was named third-team All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches when the league’s postseason honors were announced on Tuesday, the day before the start of the Big Ten tournament. No other Spartans player averaged double figures, although seven averaged between 6.5 and 9.6 points per game. This season marks the second straight that Michigan State’s all-conference honors have been limited to one third-team member. Aaron Henry earned a third-team All-Big Ten honors last year. The Big Ten’s first-team all-conference consisted of Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn, Ohio State’s E.J.

Gabe Brown and Malik Hall led a key second-half surge and Tom Izzo became the all-time Big Ten leader in career wins as Michigan State defeated Maryland 77-67 on Sunday.

Gabe Brown and Malik Hall led a key second-half surge and Tom Izzo became the all-time Big Ten leader in career wins as Michigan State defeated Maryland 77-67.

Gabe Brown and Malik Hall led a key second-half surge and Tom Izzo became the all-time Big Ten leader in career wins as Michigan State defeated Maryland 77-67 on Sunday. With his 663rd win at Michigan State, Izzo passed Indiana’s Bob Knight for the most wins at a Big Ten school.

EAST LANSING – Nothing has come easy for this Michigan State basketball team, right down to the end of the regular season. The Spartans nearly blew a 20-point second-half lead before pulling out a 77-67 win over Maryland on Sunday on senior day at the Breslin Center. The win gives Michigan State (20-11, 11-9) the No. For most of the day, Michigan State seemed to have broken through to at last record a convincing win. That stretch kicked off a 46-point first half that gave Michigan State a 20-point lead at the break.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State’s senior day will be a little bit more open-ended this year than usual. For one, the three Spartans players who will kiss the floor at the end of Michigan State’s Sunday game against Maryland (4:30 p.m., CBS) might not be done with their Spartans playing careers. Brown, Michigan State’s captain and most experienced player, has been heralded by Izzo as one of his hardest-working players. “I grew up from a boy to a man here and I appreciate this place.”Hauser joined Michigan State as a transfer a year after the rest of Michigan State’s senior class. But all three still have time to write a strong ending to their Michigan State careers for themselves and their team, starting on Sunday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State entered Thursday’s matchup against Michigan State coming off of back-to-back embarrassing losses: on the road by 15 at Maryland and at home to a Nebraska team that was 2-16 in league play. So when Michigan State rolled to town, Ohio State was desperate and played like it as it rolled to an 11-point home win over the Spartans. Michigan State is now 2-7 in its last nine games, after following up a top-five win over Purdue on Saturday with losses to Michigan and Ohio State. Typically at this time of year, Michigan State teams are reaching their peak. The last seven Michigan State teams have all been above .500 in the final 10 games of the regular season.

As conference play comes to a close we have an interesting slate on Thursday, and arguably the best game on the board is this Big Ten showdown as Ohio State hosts Michigan State. Oddsmakers have Ohio State as a sizable favorite for this one, with the total set at 138.5. Ohio State -6Just when it looked like Michigan State might have things figured out following its upset win over Purdue, the Spartans went out and embarrassed themselves. Ohio State is coming off an embarrassing loss of its own to Nebraska, but that seems more like an outlier than anything else. Ohio State is very efficient on offense, but its defense is a bit leaky.

Hunter Dickinson scored a career-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to help Michigan beat Michigan State 87-70.

Hunter Dickinson scored a career-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to help Michigan beat Michigan State 87-70 on Tuesday night.

Michigan State has spent the last six weeks see-sawing between strong performances and weak ones. A week ago, Michigan State came out flat and fell by a Big Ten-high 26 points on the road at Iowa. Since winning nine straight games from early December until mid-January, Michigan State has recorded consecutive wins just once since. Michigan shot 58.2 percent from the field, and the Wolverines’ 87 points were tied for the most that any team has scored against Michigan State this season. Michigan State took the bus to Ohio immediately following Tuesday’s game in advance of a Thursday game at Ohio State.

Tyson Walker made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, lifting Michigan State to a 68-65 win over No. 4 Purdue.

Tyson Walker hit a 3-pointer with one second left to send Michigan State to a 68-65 win over No. The win snaps a three-game Michigan State (19-9, 10-7) losing streak and likely secures its place in the NCAA Tournament for the 24th consecutive year. The last time Michigan State was at home, Walker recorded a season-high 26 points as he nearly helped Michigan State knock off Illinois. Michigan State point guard A.J. Michigan State now goes to Ann Arbor on Tuesday to take on rival Michigan.

4 Purdue to the Breslin Center on Saturday (noon, ESPN), marking the team’s third straight game against a ranked opponent. And this game is against the team that Tom Izzo has touted all season as the Big Ten’s best. Michigan State enters the matchup having lose five of its last six games, including by 26 points to Iowa on Tuesday. But despite all that, Izzo and players say the mood around the basketball building hasn’t been dour this week. Izzo also wants to see Michigan State’s defensive rebounding improve after Iowa pulled in 10 offensive rebounds.

In Michigan State’s Tuesday loss at Iowa, their struggles came into the clearest focus yet. Christie went 2-for-11 and Brown went 0-for-7 as the Spartans lost by 26. With Christie, Izzo has started looking to reduce his freshman’s workload to increase his offensive production. In Michigan State’s Saturday loss to Illinois, Christie played a season-high 36 minutes, his fourth straight game playing 32 or more. But in the practice gym, both Brown and Christie are working as hard as ever as they work together to solve Michigan State’s biggest issue.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It didn’t take long after Michigan State’s 26-point loss here at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday night for Tom Izzo to decide he’s ready to make some changes. Speaking after Michigan State lost for the fifth time in the last six games, Izzo at multiple points referenced changes that will be coming for his basketball team. Izzo has thus far opted not to make many significant changes during the Spartans’ skid of recent weeks. He called the technical “completely undeserved.”“I just it was a foul,” Izzo said. “I didn’t swear at him.”Michigan State was down by 11 points when Izzo was called for the foul.

But Michigan State hopes its offense gets on the plane, too, when it heads to Iowa for a Tuesday night matchup. Michigan State’s flagging offense has come into focus amid this stretch of four losses in its last five games. Their recent losses to Wisconsin and Penn State are among the least efficient offensively of the Spartans’ season. That’s been a familiar sight during recent games. He’s also hopeful that the improved recent play of his point guards will soon make for better offense.

Paul Mulcahy had his first-career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 assists, Ron Harper Jr. added 17 points and Dean Reiber had a career-high 12 points as Rutgers blew past No. 13 Michigan State 84-63.

Michigan State hung in with a hot-shooting team on the road for as long as it could. But as the second half got underway, the wheels came off. The Spartans were outscored by 19 points in the second half as they faded away for a 84-63 loss on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mikes Arena. 13 Michigan State (17-5, 8-3) a game and a half behind first-place Illinois in the Big Ten standings. Those made shots came in bunches and did the Spartans in early in the second half.

EAST LANSING – When Gabe Brown turns on the tape and watches his 3-point shots from his last handful of games, he sees the same issue that every close Michigan State basketball observer can see. “I’ve been shooting it flat, I haven’t been shooting it up,” Brown said on Thursday.

Max Christie scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and Malik Hall finished with 15 points, leading No. 10 Michigan State to an 83-67 win over Michigan.

Michigan State fell behind by 14 points in the first half thanks to nine first-half turnovers that Illinois turned into 15 points. Michigan State has made a habit lately of slow and sloppy starts. Spartans forward Gabe Brown pointed to his team’s energy as the culprit as Michigan State fell behind by double digits early in a hostile road environment. “…The losses have been because of the turnovers.”Those turnovers, Izzo said, made it difficult for Michigan State to find a rhythm offensively. “You hold a team to 56 points the way we’ve been playing you should be able to win a game,” Izzo said.

Ryan Young had 18 points and eight rebounds, helping Northwestern hold on to beat No. 10 Michigan State 64-62 for its first road win over a top 10 team in nearly five years.

Starting with that Minnesota game, Brown has averaged 17 points per game in his last six while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. Izzo called Brown’s last game against Nebraska his best all-around game in a Michigan State uniform. Brown is just one of several reasons, though, that Izzo sees this Michigan State team as improved since its last outing. The Minnesota game will be the first of two rematches for Michigan State this week. On Saturday, the Spartans will take on Northwestern just 13 days after the two teams played in Evanston and Michigan State won, 73-67.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State made it through the warm-up act to the week. The Spartans overcame a sloppy start to dispatch Nebraska, 79-67, on Wednesday night at the Breslin Center. Michigan State (13-2, 4-0) will take an eight-game win streak into that game a career game from freshman Max Chrsistie helped them dispatch the last-place Cornhuskers (6-9, 0-4). Michigan State turned the ball over 11 times in the opening 10 minutes to open the game, as its biggest bugaboo of the season returned in a big way. Nebraska, though, never got closer than six, as Michigan State made shots down the stretch to keep the Cornhuskers at bay.

Michigan State forward Gabe Brown hasn’t seen many shots he doesn’t like. That evolution has been on display in the last two games, as Brown has been the biggest catalyst in helping Michigan State pull out two close games and keep a seven-game win streak alive. The two shots capped off an 11-point run that gave Michigan State the lead for good. “Everybody played their part in the second half,” Brown said afterward. “Gabe is showing in the second half of games, but there’s two halves to games,” Izzo said.

Gabe Brown scored 20 points, Marcus Bingham Jr. added 13 and No. 10 Michigan State rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit for a 73-67 victory over Northwestern.

Michigan State started the second half on a 10-2 run that turned a seven-point deficit into a one-point lead with 16:57 left. Christie added a putback dunk a few minutes later sparked a second 13-2 Spartans run. The Spartans went 26-for-33 for the game at the free throw line, compared to 20-of-30 for Northwestern. Michigan State also gave up 11 offensive rebounds in the first half and shot just 1-for-10 from 3-point range. But it improved in the second half, made its free throws, and kept its win streak alive.

The Spartans pulled away in the final seven minutes to put away High Point, 81-68, on Wednesday at the Breslin Center. Michigan State was playing without two starters in Marcus Bingham and Max Christie, plus reserve guard Pierre Brooks, after all three tested positive for COVID-19. Michigan State didn’t lead by more than seven points in the first 33 minutes, until their shooting at last came to the rescue. That started a 14-5 Michigan State run that put the game away at last. Michigan State will now resume Big Ten play with a Sunday game at Northwestern.

Gabe Brown scored 15 points and Marcus Bingham Jr. had 12 points and 13 rebounds to lead No. 19 Michigan State to an 80-64 victory over Penn State.

Last season, Michigan State’s trip to Minnesota marked the first clear sign that the season was going awry. This year, Michigan State’s performance at Williams Arena was the latest sign of hope that this program is back on track. 19 Spartans (8-2) opened Big Ten play with a statement win over a Gophers team that entered the game undefeated at 7-0. Michigan State shot 48.1 percent from the field, its second-highest mark of the season, plus 10-for-21 from 3-point range. Hoggard, but Brown hit a key 3-pointer with 3:06 left and the Spartans’ hung on throughout the final minute when Minnesota got within single digits.

EAST LANSING – As shot after shot missed the mark and bad shooting game after bad shooting game piled up early in the season, Michigan State didn’t get worried. Coaches and players stayed confident in a team that on paper should be a strong 3-point shooting team. The early returns weren’t promising, though: Michigan State was a 28 percent 3-point shooting team through four games and only slightly better heading into this week. A repeat of last season, when Michigan State shot its lowest 3-point percentage since 1997, was a worry. Now, though, the world is starting to see that shooting promise that Michigan State said has been there all along.

EAST LANSING – For Michigan State this season, bad things have often come in twos. Michigan State recorded back-to-back turnovers again later in the half and finished with 19. Turnovers are a familiar issue for Michigan State under Izzo: it has ranked among the top 100 teams in turnover percentage just twice since 1997. There have also been careless passes, travels and other miscues that fall solely on Michigan State. Many a Spartans team has struggled with this issue in November and December, only to improve later in the season.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State spent parts of six days in the Bahamas on Saturday while Michigan received some of its first snowfall of the season. The Spartans will have such a matchup on Wednesday, when they welcome in Louisville (7:15 p.m., ESPN) for a ACC/Big Ten challenge matchup. Michigan State enters that matchup after an encouraging last week in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. That, combined with standouts individual games from Malik Hall (24 points against Loyola) and Julius Marble II (15 points against UConn) showcased a Michigan State team that has depth. Louisville (5-1) fell at home to Furman in its second game of the season but has since rallied off four straight wins.

James Akinjo scored 15 points and No. 6 Baylor beat Michigan State 75-58 for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship.

A.

Gabe Brown and Max Christie led Michigan State to a 73-42 win over Butler on Tuesday night in a Gavitt Games matchup. Gabe Brown recorded a season-high 19 points with four 3-pointers, while freshman Max Christie recorded a career-best 18. Brown, meanwhile, continued to step into his larger role for Michigan State this season. He recorded 11 points in the second half on 4-for-5 shooting to help Michigan State maintain its lead. Michigan State continued its early season turnover issues, with 19 giveaways for the game.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State was a step below a top-five opponent in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Michigan State cruised past Western Michigan, 90-46, in its home opener on Friday night at Breslin Center. Improved point guard play, strong defense and rebounding and diverse scoring punctuated the win for Michigan State (1-1). Gabe Brown scored a game-high 17 points to pace Michigan State, with 11 of those coming in the second half. Michigan State will hit the road on Wednesday to play at Butler in a Gavitt Games matchup.

Michigan State, meanwhile, traveled away from home to play the No. And while it started its season with an 87-74 loss to Kansas, Michigan State thought it got more out of that loss than most other teams did in their wins. “If you’re playing smaller schools, you don’t really get a chance to really showcase where you’re at with higher-level competition, March Madness-type of players,” Michigan State senior Gabe Brown said. The Spartans fell in large part due to a free throw disparity (9-for-16 for Michigan State, 19-for-24) that Izzo blamed on preparation. But strip out those two elements that Michigan State hopes are fixable in the immediate future and the game looks more even.

Max Christie will lead Michigan State in scoringThis may be overreacting to the shiny new toy that we haven’t seen in a real college hoops game yet. Michigan State will lose three non-conference gamesIt’s overall good news that Michigan State has new players at some key positions, particularly at point guard. To be specific, I’d pick Kansas, Louisville and one opponent in the Battle 4 Atlantis over Michigan State. It’s hard to see Michigan State jumping in with that group. Michigan State can be the best of the rest, though.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State welcomed fans back to the Breslin Center on Wednesday night with a celebration. The Spartans were strong throughout during a 92-58 exhibition win over Ferris State in their first public contest of the 2021-22 season. Walker had a team-best five assists in his debut running the Michigan State offense after transferring from Northeastern but also had three of Michigan State’s 21 turnovers. The Spartans shot better than 50 percent from the field and nearly doubled up Ferris State in the rebounding department, 53-27. Michigan State will also play Grand Valley State in a Nov. 4 exhibition before opening the regular season against Kansas on Nov. 9.

EAST LANSING – While the transfer portal and immediate eligibility upends roster management throughout college basketball, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is sticking to his longtime pledge to his recruited players. More than 1,500 players entered the transfer portal during this past offseason, more than one out of every four in the sport. That tally included three players from Michigan State, in Rocket Watts, Thomas Kithier and Foster Loyer. Michigan State also added a player from the transfer portal in point guard Tyson Walker. Hauser lost a season of eligibility when he enrolled early at Marquette, on that Michigan State could petition to be reinstated.)

None of those candidates, though, wear a Michigan State uniform. Brown admits he hasn’t always been consistent throughout his Michigan State career and knows more will be expected of him this year. His first season playing at Michigan State didn’t pan out the way anyone hoped (9.7 points per game, 34 percent from 3-point range). “I don’t think anyone’s seen the real Joey Hauser,” Izzo said. So while Michigan State may not have any player of the year candidates at the start of the season, he isn’t ruling out that it will have some at the end.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State’s roster got a significant makeover in the offseason, with six players moving on and seven new players coming in. Senior Gabe Brown and junior Malik Hall have been named Michigan State’s captains for the 2021-22 season, Spartans coach Tom Izzo announced on Tuesday. Brown has played more games in a Michigan State uniform than any player on the roster with 88. Hall said a significant part of the captains’ job will be improving on the team’s culture. “The main thing coach has harped on all offseason is culture, making sure everyone gets accustomed to the culture we had before last year and way back, the Mateen, Draymond type of culture,” Hall said.

Michigan State’s offseason started early, following a loss in a play-in game of the NCAA Tournament back in March. Here’s five things we’ll be watching throughout the Spartans’ preseason practice slate:Point guardStart where last year’s season largely went awry: point guard play. And Michigan State may be looking for more from him than most freshmen in recent memory. But no matter who starts, Michigan State will need to figure out how to get both of these guys plenty of minutes. Michigan State lost its leader in scoring, rebounding and assists when Aaron Henry departed for the NBA.

On a team that was the worst long-range shooting Michigan State team in decades, that effort was sorely needed. No other qualifying Spartans player shot better than 36 percent from distance. That’s good not only for Michigan State, but bodes well for Brown’s NBA Draft hopes. ASSESS AND GUESS IN 2021-22: Brown appears as poised as any player on the Spartans’ roster in 2021-22 to have a breakout season. Michigan State will need more consistency out of Brown and can’t have those long stretches of no shots or rebounds.

UCLA won 86-80. But because of the pandemic, it’s been 710 days since last we saw the NCAA Tournament — who’s counting? The first four games were grafted onto the 64-team main bracket in 2011, naturally, to pad the NCAA coffers. Michigan State’s brief appearance in the tournament was coach Tom Izzo’s 23rd straight, but it was small consolation. They told me that the flight was leaving tomorrow at 9:30 (am),” Norfolk State coach Robert Jones said.

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime with Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Riley was back on the floor for a crucial free throw in overtime, and the Bruins survived to make it a good start to their 50th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated NCAA Tournament bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime on Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Once overtime came around, Juzang hit the first two baskets of the extra session to give UCLA the lead. Michigan State was 16 of 18 from the foul line but missed one in overtime. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981.

OVERTIMEFINAL: UCLA 86, Michigan State 80Michigan State’s season is over and UCLA is moving on to face BYU in the NCAA Tournament first round on Saturday. Michigan State falls to UCLA for early exit from NCAA Tournament1:23: UCLA 81, Michigan State 78After nine straight points by UCLA dating back to late in the second half, Langford spilt a pair of free throws to pull Michigan State within three. Michigan State extended its tournament streak with a late-season push that included a trio of wins against top-five teams in Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan. GAME INFORMATION:Who: Michigan State (15-12) vs. UCLA (17-9)When: 10:19 p.m.Where: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.) 206Line: Michigan State -2Twitter: Follow Kyle AustinRelated Michigan State basketball stories:Michigan State looks to go on NCAA Tournament run starting with play-in vs. UCLASpartan Confidential podcast: Michigan State, UCLA set for blue blood battleCan Michigan State go from a play-in game to an NCAA Tournament run?

The sophomore forward averages 20 points a game and scored a career-high 34 points in the last game against Michigan State. Michigan State greatly improved its chances of playing beyond the Big Ten Tournament by beating then-No. Henry matched a career high with 27 points in the previous meeting, leading Michigan State to a 78-71 comeback win at Indiana less than two weeks ago. “He took the blame at halftime.”In the end, though, the junior forward made plays at both ends of the court to help Michigan State outlast Indiana. Michigan State: Junior guard Foster Loyer had surgery on his left shoulder this week, likely ending his season.

“The process has been a little slow, but that was Morris who came through in his third year, he started playing better and better, and you’re starting to see Gabe play better and better,” Izzo said. “He’s getting more comfortable, he’s getting better defensively, he’s starting to rebound finally. Brown has hit 52.4 percent of his 3-pointers in his team’s last five games, shoring up an area that had been lacking for Michigan State. Izzo has also been particularly pleased to see Brown average nearly four rebounds per game over his last seven games. “Everybody’s putting a lot of time in, so right now everything’s starting to click and we’re starting to be connected,” Brown said.

Aaron Henry had 18 points to help the Spartans improve their chances of making the NCAA Tournament with a 71-67 win over No. This year, though, it looked as if the Spartans (13-9, 7-9 Big Ten) would not make their usual appearance in the NCAA Tournament until their recent surge with three straight wins. Michigan State beat top-five teams in consecutive conference games for the first time in program history. “Give Michigan State credit," Holtmann said. AdBIG PICTUREOhio State: Despite losing at Michigan State after a 92-87 setback to Michigan, earning top seeding in the NCAA Tournament is still within reach for the Buckeyes.

Henry took over primary power forward duties for much of the game, with Gabe Brown at small forward. With 9:25 left in the first half, Izzo inserted Langford for Joey Hauser to create that lineup. Langford, Henry, Watts and Brown all played the remainder of the half, with Marcus Bingham Jr., Thomas Kithier and Mady Sissoko rotating into the center spot. Izzo said he thought Watts’ game was as good as it’s been all season. But for one game at least, Michigan State was at last able to find a playing combination that provided a spark.

– The best celebrator on Michigan State’s basketball team finally got a chance to let loose a little late on Saturday. That bench’s angry yelling of the opening 10 minutes – when Michigan State once again looked ill-prepared and disorganized as it fell behind by 13 points to Indiana – had given way to delirium as Michigan State closed out an eventual 78-71 win over the Hoosiers. As Michigan State went on a 22-6 run in one of its best stretches of the season, players shook chairs, banged on tables and chanted to cheer on the onslaught. In previous games this season, Michigan State has fallen behind by double digits in the first half and seen that deficit grow to 20 or more. Michigan State has vowed to take a game-at-a-time approach to what’s become one of the most trying seasons of Tom Izzo’s career.

15 Iowa still had enough from the rest of its team to rout Michigan State 88-58 on Saturday. Michigan State started the afternoon hoping to earn a quality win against a team it lost by just six points to earlier this month. Michigan State: Izzo was in his second season the last time he didn't coach in the NCAA Tournament, and the next time might be next month. POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Hawkeyes should move up in the Top 25 after routing Michigan State on the road and beating No. 25 Rutgers by 13 points earlier in the week.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State is now two weeks removed from its COVID-19 break and has every player on its roster back and at least a week removed from virus protocols. Through 17 games this season, this Michigan State team is on track to be one of the worst-shooting Spartans team in more than a decade. Michigan State has cycled through three point guards this year and has had ball movement issues at times. Michigan State shot 12-for-29 from 3-point range in that game. Another effort like Michigan State had against Iowa the first time would put it in position for a key win on an NCAA Tournament resume, if it can add one or two more plays this time.