MAX CHRISTIE

Christie made the decision this week to remain in the 2022 NBA Draft, ending his career at Michigan State after just one season. Days after making that decision, he suited up in Chicago for the draft combine along with more than 70 other draft prospects. He came to Michigan State with the reputation of a knockdown shooter but hit only 31 percent from 3-point range in his long college season. A few uncontested combine shots won’t answer those questions, but Christie had a decent, if not great, day shooting the ball. He was listed at 6-foot-6, 190 pounds at Michigan State.

EAST LANSING – The news that had been feared, but expected, for weeks among Michigan State fans is now official. Spartans forward Max Christie will hire an agent and remain in the 2022 NBA Draft, the school confirmed on Monday evening. The move means Christie is ending his Michigan State career after just one season. His departure leaves Michigan State with just two returning wing players in Jaden Akins and Pierre Brooks, both of whom were freshman last year. Spartans forwards Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr. also both declared for the NBA Draft instead of returning to East Lansing for a sixth season.

Before he makes a final decision about whether he’s staying in the NBA Draft or returning to Michigan State in 2022-23, Max Christie will have a chance to showcase himself in the league’s premiere pre-draft event. Christie will participate in the NBA Combine next week, according to a participants list released on Tuesday night by the NBA. Christie entered his name into the NBA Draft pool after his freshman season but is preserving his NCAA eligibility. As a freshman for Michigan State in 2021-22, Christie averaged 9.3 points per game while shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3-point range. Former Michigan State forward Gabe Brown was invited to attend the G League Elite Camp, also next week in Chicago.

EAST LANSING – Joey Hauser kissed the floor in Michigan State’s Breslin Center finale last year, but his time playing in the arena isn’t done. The Spartans forward will return to play for Michigan State once again in 2022-23, he announced on Wednesday morning. Hauser had spent the previous month mulling whether to return or move on to professional basketball since Michigan State was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on March 13. Hauser primarily played power forward but played center sparingly last year. Hauser and Malik Hall split time at the power forward position last season.

Michigan State may be having a quiet spring in the transfer portal, but it’s as active as usual on the recruiting front. Michigan State could also add via the transfer portal this offseason, changing its needs. Christie is technically on this list, but Michigan State likely isn’t preparing for him to be on the roster in 2023-24. 247sports composite ranking: 28Fears committed to Michigan State in January, making Michigan State set at the point guard spot for the foreseeable future. He doesn’t have the high recruiting ranking of Max but has picked up several Big Ten offers and has been around Michigan State plenty in the last year.

EAST LANSING – It’s officially transfer portal season in college basketball. After adding Tyson Walker early in last offseason, Michigan State has had a quiet start to this portal season. The only transfer that Michigan State has been seriously linked to is Jalen Bridges, a forward who played last season at West Virginia. Bridges told CBS last week that he plans to visit Michigan State, along with Alabama and Baylor. He indicated last week that he’s still undecided about a return to Michigan State in 2022-23.

Between now and the 2022-23 season kicking off in November, hundreds of players will transfers between schools and many others will turn pro. Many others are deciding on whether to return for a fifth year, and a handful of high-level high school prospects have yet to commit to a school. Michigan State still has some decisions to be announced: Max Christie has his name in the NBA Draft and Joey Hauser has yet to announce whether or not he’ll return for a fifth year. The Spartans’ top two scorers from last year, Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham Jr., have already announced that they’re moving on. But as of the official start of the 2022 offseason, here’s where Michigan State stands:CBS: 18.

EAST LANSING – One of Michigan State’s most promising young players is exploring a move to the next level. Spartans freshman Max Christie will enter his name into the 2022 NBA Draft, he announced on Friday on his Instagram. He will maintain his college eligibility while doing so, he said. Christie came to Michigan State last summer as a five-star prospect from the Chicago area and made the team’s starting lineup from its season-opener. During a sometimes up-and-down first campaign in East Lansing, Christie averaged 9.3 points per game while shooting 31.7 percent from 3-point range.

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.

While the Spartans struggled with a sloppy end to the game, it was relieved to see Christie have a long-awaited breakout game after a month filled with struggles. Christie’s 16 points marked his most since a Jan. 29 game against Michigan. When he did start shooting, he did so with newfound confidence: Christie hit three straight 3-pointers in a span of less than six minutes late in the first half. Before that stretch, Christie hadn’t hit three 3-pointers in a game in more than a month. Despite his anger at Michigan State’s rash of turnovers, Izzo stood smiling as Christie hit his late free throws.

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

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.

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.

Seth Lundy hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:37 remaining and finished with 17 points as Penn State beat No. 19 Michigan State 62-58.

Penn State beat Michigan State on the boards in the final two minutes to set up a pair of critical late baskets in a 62-58 Tuesday night win at the Bryce-Jordan Center. Julius Marble and Max Christie made late baskets, but Penn State made all four of its free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the upset win. That sequence ended a second half in which a 14-point second half lead for Michigan State disappeared. Those have been familiar issues for a Michigan State team that’s struggled to take care of the ball and been beat uncharacteristically often on the boards. Penn State had 10 offensive rebounds, compared to eight for Michigan State.

EAST LANSING – Max Christie left his home state on Tuesday night disappointed but his performance but not discouraged. Christie went 1-for-8 against Illinois, scoring just two points while recording three turnovers while the Illini student section hounded him in a Michigan State loss. So when Michigan State returned to the court to play against Michigan on Saturday, Christie’s role in the offense was tweaked compared to what it’s been for the rest of this season. Overall, Christie said he found himself moving more with and without the ball in his new role against the Wolverines and that created more offense. His play was particularly important in the first half, when he scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and helped Michigan State overcome an early deficit to take a halftime lead.

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.

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.

EVANSTON, Ill. – When Michigan State came to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday to hold a practice, freshman guard Max Christie had a detour to make. Christie went up to the arena’s concourse and found a placard dedicated to Katrina Hannaford. After Michigan State went down by seven points at halftime, Christie scored the first five points of the second half to lead his team’s charge back, including a 3-pointer. In his second career Big Ten road game, Christie went to a building with which he’s plenty familiar. He remembered serving as a ballboy and watching a Denzel Valentine-led Michigan State team play at Welsh-Ryan.

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.

EAST LANSING – The wave of new COVID-19 cases has made it to the Michigan State basketball program, but the Spartans will play on. Michigan State will be without forward Marcus Bingham Jr., guard Max Christie, guard Pierre Brooks II and walk-on guard Steven Izzo for its Wednesday game against High Point after testing positive for COVID-19, Tom Izzo announced on Tuesday. Michigan State players left to return home for the holidays on Wednesday and reported back to campus on Sunday. Christie has also started every Michigan State gams this year and leads the team at 29.8 minutes per game while scoring 9.4 points per game. High Point is the lowest-rated team on Michigan State’s schedule, entering the game at No.

Yet afterward, Tom Izzo was still thinking about how much better this Spartans team can be, not just how good it is now. After entering the season unranked following a 15-13 season, Michigan State has now started the season 10-2 and is on the cusp of the top 10 in the Associated Press poll. Oakland coach Greg Kampe, a friend of Izzo’s and a longtime Michigan State observer, said he senses a renewed energy in his counterpart. “He still had eight, nine shots, we’ve got to get him more shots, he’s got to get more shots. With moments like that, the upside with this Michigan State team isn’t hard to see.

DETROIT – That Michigan State opened the game with a 3-pointer from its shooter who was struggling the most turned out to be a sign of things to come. By the time Michigan State was done, his resurgent game was only part of the Spartans’ breakout offensive night. “Scoring the ball is always our plan, to get a lot of shots up, play fast,” Spartans point guard Tyson Walker said. Once that happened, the lob was open underneath, and Michigan State took advantage of it often. Kampe said Oakland’s path to victory included forcing Michigan State to commit a high number of turnovers.

The win kept the Spartans (10-2) a perfect 20-for-20 in its series against the Golden Grizzlies, dating back to 1999, and gave them their fifth straight win this season. After a nine-day break from games, Michigan State came out full speed, scoring the first eight points of the game. He came into the game shooting just 26 percent from 3-point range this season. Marcus Bingham Jr. had 17 points, shooting 8-for-10 with six dunks and two layups. Moore finished with 25 and Cain finished with 20.

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.

EAST LANSING – In one way, Michigan State freshman guard Max Christie has been just what Michigan State coaches expected: a day-one starter who has played a key role in helping the Spartans to a strong 7-2 start to the season. “For the for the most part these past couple games I think defensively I’ve done a great job,” Christie said on Saturday after Michigan State beat Toledo. Michigan State started Saturday’s game looking to get Christie open shots so he could see the ball go in and gain confidence. Until then, he’ll settle for helping Michigan State in the way he can. “Eventually if I’m playing hard on the defensive end, I get steals, rebounds, and I run out, I’m going to get wide-open shots,” Christie said.

EAST LANSING – The worries that this is a poor-shooting Michigan State team may officially be over. 22 Michigan State to an insurmountable lead in an eventual 81-68 win over Toledo on Saturday at the Breslin Center. The win finished an unbeaten week for the Spartans, who beat Louisville at home on Wednesday. He was one of four Michigan State players in double figures: Brown added 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting, while A.J. Michigan State will begin Big Ten play next week with games against Minnesota and Penn State.

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.

After Michigan State fell to Baylor in the tournament championship game on Friday, Tom Izzo allowed an admission about his expectations entering the Battle 4 Atlantis. “I came into this tournament thinking ‘If we can be the third best team,’ just because of seeing what I saw,” Izzo said. Yet the Spartans did one better than Izzo’s hope, finishing as the tournament runner-up after beating Loyola Chicago and No. On the positive side, Michigan State found a freshman who appears headed for a larger role than originally anticipated. He scored in double digits in the team’s second two games and shot 6-for-14 from 3-point range for the week.

Here are three takeaways from Michigan State’s 64-60 win over Connecticut in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals on Thursday:A team that knows how to winTwice in the last two days, Michigan State has been in a one-possession game in the final minute. And twice, Michigan State has made winning plays down the stretch to come out on top. Michigan State has players who have played in close games, but none that have truly played starring roles in them. The three-in-three format of holiday tournaments often reward depth, and Michigan State showed it has just that. He has more turnovers than made shots, and at winning time against Connecticut, Christie wasn’t on the floor.

EAST LANSING, MI – Big Ten title hopes and an inside track to the College Football Playoff are on the line when Michigan State and Ohio State meet in Columbus on Saturday. And a big game requires a supersized episode of Spartan Confidential. In this special crossover episode, MLive’s Matt Wenzel is joined by Cleveland.com reporters Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means to preview this weekend’s Top 10 showdown. Topics include Marcus Bingham’s arrival at the center position, struggles at the four position and freshman Max Christie, who may just be on the doorstep to stardom. You can listen to the episode here or by using the player below.

Here are three things we learned about Michigan State in its 73-52 win over Butler on Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse:Max Christie has arrivedThis is the Max Christie we’ve heard about from teammates and coaches throughout the preseason. Eye on 3-point shootingMichigan State won despite an average 3-point shooting night that started just 3-for-16 in the first half and finished 8-for-24. But this team’s 3-point shooting is officially something to watch. Including its two exhibition games, Michigan State is a 32 percent 3-point shooting team on the season. That’s about where it was last year, when 3-point shooting was a significant issue in a disappointing season.

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 coaches and players spent the preseason heaping plenty of praise on Max Christie, the Spartans’ five-star freshman who impressed in practices all through the summer and fall. That’s going to get better.”The first look at Michigan State in 2021-22 showed a team that will need to have Christie playing a critical role as a freshman, given his clear talent level and shooting ability. That’s a role Christie said he’s embracing just one game into his college career as the Spartans prepare for a Friday game against Western Michigan (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). “I like challenges, for me to take those shots, take a lot of shots on the team, especially as a freshman. In the second half, as Michigan State tried to climb out of a hole, Christie took just two shots after taking eight in the first half.

Christie was one of several newcomers who had off nights as a new-look Michigan State team fell to a Kansas team that leaned largely on a veteran perimeter group. And for a team that’s relying on two freshmen and a transfer in its playing rotation, their struggles of Michigan State’s newcomers were key. Fellow Spartans’ freshman Jaden Akins played a scoreless 12 minutes, missing all three of his shots and committing a costly turnover late in the first half. “I don’t know why, he’s a very good shooter.”The most-watched of the Spartans’ newcomers, though, was Christie. But the good news for Michigan State is that there’s only one season-opener, and its three rotation newcomers now all have it behind them.

“Everybody’s got a distaste for last year,” Izzo saidThat distaste will start to fade on Tuesday night, when Michigan State opens the new season against No. For the first time since 2011, the inaugural year of the Champions Classic, Michigan State will be unranked entering college basketball’s premiere early season showcase event. The reasons that Michigan State struggled last year, though, have been addressed through an offseason that included more change than is typical for this program. Tops on that list was addressing the point guard situation, which was uneven last year with three different players. “I definitely feel more comfortable within the system, just with college basketball in general,” Christie said on Friday after Michigan State beat Grand Valley State.

EAST LANSING – Ready or not, the regular season is coming for Michigan State. The Spartans closed the preseason with a 83-60 win over Grand Valley State on Thursday night at the Breslin Center. The next time we see Michigan State will be in Madison Square Garden, where it faces No. Those games showcased mostly good and a little bad for a new-look Michigan State team. Bingham added seven rebounds and six blocks as part of a 10-block effort for the Spartans.

Here are three things we learned about Michigan State in its exhibition debut:Rotation taking shapeOften times in exhibitions, Tom Izzo makes full five-player line changes and subs haphazardly in search of combinations. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday, as Michigan State looked like it had a fairly established rotation for its first exhibition. During the beginning portions of both the first and second halves, Michigan State used primarily those players. The Northeastern transfer showed many of the things that have Michigan State fans hoping he’ll be the key to a significantly improved offense. Michigan State doesn’t typically record many steals, as its defense emphasizes forcing opponents into difficult shots more so than getting the ball.

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.

It may not be the most anticipated game on Michigan State’s campus this week. But Wednesday night’s Michigan State basketball exhibition game against will offer a first look at a new-look Spartans team that features seven new players. • The game will mark the first time that Michigan State has sold tickets to the general public since the final game of the 2019-20 season. • Among Ferris State’s players is freshman Mykel Bingham, the younger brother of Spartans senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr., and senior Walt Kelser, the nephew of former Spartans All-American Gregory Kelser. • Spartans walk-on guard Michael Peterson was a four-year player for Ferris State before transferring to Michigan State this offseason.

EAST LANSING – Max Christie came to Michigan State with a considerable amount of hype already, as a five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American who turned down Duke to come to East Lansing. But Izzo said Christie has also excelled running the fast break and in driving to the hoop during preseason practices. He runs that game really well.”Izzo said those positives to his game were expected based on the player they saw during the recruiting process. Since then, being at Michigan State has allowed him to add strength, particularly in his legs, that he said has allowed him to hold his base better and elevate more on jumpshots. Christie knows that plenty of those Michigan State fans already have high expectations for him before he’s even stepped on the court – something he’s taking in stride.

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.

EAST LANSING – Michigan State has its 16-player roster set for the 2021-22 season. And nearly half of those 16 players weren’t on the roster last year. The Spartans unveiled their new roster on Thursday afternoon, officially adding seven newcomers for the upcoming season. The Spartans will also add three new walk-on players in forward Peter Nwoke of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Western Michigan transfer guard Jason Whitens and Ferris State transfer guard Mike Peterson. The roster also includes every new player number and one changed number: Joey Hauser will go from wearing 20 to wearing 10.

Max Christie has only had a few practices with his Michigan State basketball teammates, but he’s realized they’re stronger and faster than the competition in high school. His goal by the time the season starts: To get on their level, and help Michigan Stat return to previous levels of success. Once his year was over, he was eager to get to Michigan State, arriving in late May with fellow freshman Jaden Akins, a four-star point guard from Farmington. Four players who started at least half the games last year are gone, including Aaron Henry, who led Michigan State in points, rebounds, and assists. “We want to make sure that everything is going to be the way that the old Michigan State and the real Michigan State team should be.

EAST LANSING – Is Michigan State gaining some momentum in one of the tougher recruiting areas in the country? Schutt recently scheduled a visit to Michigan State for next month, according to 247sports, after visiting multiple times before COVID-19 shut down recruiting last year. Before Christie, Michigan State hadn’t landed an Illinois high school prospect since 2013, with some high-profile misses in the years following that. Now, after landing Christie, Michigan State will hope that connection can get more players from greater Chicago to East Lansing. As a sophomore, he broke the Illinois state high school with 17 3-pointers in a single game.

The 2021 McDonald’s All-American game won’t be played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But one future Michigan State player is being honored as a participantMax Christie, a five-star prospect from Illinois who signed with the Spartans in November, was one of 24 players from across the country included in the 2021 McDonald’s All-American game rosters unveiled on Tuesday. Christie becomes Michigan State’s first McDonald’s All-American in four years, since Jaren Jackson Jr. played in the game in 2017. Christie is one of three players signed to join the Spartans for the 2021-22 seasons. The Spartans also have a verbal commitment from Ypsilanti’s Emoni Bates, who is considered the best high school prospect regardless of class but is currently a class of 2022 prospect and not eligible for the McDonald’s All-American game.

Michigan State has officially signed a recruiting class that ranks among the best in the country. Michigan State also received a letter of intent from Jaden Akins, a four-star in-state point guard, early on Wednesday morning. In an era when prospects often choose to delay their signings until the spring, Michigan State had all of its letters in hand before lunch of the first day of the early signing period. Now, the only question is if the Spartans' class gets even bigger and better from here. For now, though, Michigan State is happy with a strong three-member class and a drama-free signing day.