By Max Bechtoldt — Graduate Assistant
Men’s basketball season is here, and with it comes a long schedule that can be tough to keep track of. The Spartans have some big games on the horizon, so let’s take a look at some of the key teams they face.
Monday, Nov. 15, 8:00 pm, Stanford (Palo Alto, Calif.)
The first road test for the Spartans comes against regional rival and Pac 12 opponent Stanford. The Cardinal had a 14-13 record in 2020-2021 playing in one of the premier conferences in college basketball. This included wins against ranked opponents Alabama and UCLA. The Cardinal have to replace leading scorer Oscar Da Silva, but senior forward Jaiden Delaire, who averaged 12.5 points per game last season, should be up for the task.
Saturday, Nov. 20, TBA, No. 5 Texas (Austin, Texas)
The only ranked opponent on the Spartans’ schedule are the mighty Texas Longhorns, who are projected to be one of the best teams in the country. The Longhorns went 19-8 in 2020-2021, which included huge wins against No. 14 North Carolina, No. 3 Kansas, No. 14 West Virginia, No. 16 Oklahoma, No. 20 Texas Tech and No. 12 Oklahoma State. Texas entered the NCAA Tournament as Big 12 champions and a three seed, but were shocked in their opening game against Abilene Christian. Texas returns two-time All-Big 12 performer guard Andrew Jones and gets a boost from Utah transfer forward Timmy Allen, who was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection in 2021.
Saturday, Jan. 15, 3:00 pm, Colorado State (San Jose)
Not only is Colorado State the preseason favorite to win the MW, this will also be Spartans’ head coach Tim Miles’ first game against his former team. Rams head coach Nico Medved was an assistant under Miles at Colorado State throughout Miles’ entire run with the school, so the mentor/student dynamic is at play in the coaching matchup. Colorado State effectively returns all its talent from a team that made the NIT in 2021, and was a bubble team throughout the NCAA Tournament selection process.
Friday, Jan. 28, TBA, New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)
Going into a hostile environment is always a fun way to test a young team like the Spartans’ development, and no place in the MW is more hostile than New Mexico’s University Arena. Known as “The Pit” this has become an iconic stadium nationally in the world of college basketball. New Mexico had its worst record in basketball since 1962 last season, but is still a premiere program in the MW. Like the Spartans they also made a splashy head coaching hire, getting former Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, whom Miles has coached against many times in their years in the Big 10.
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 8:00 pm, San Diego State (San Jose)
No team in the MW has seen more sustained, high level success recently than the San Diego State Aztecs. Over the last two years the Aztecs are 53-7 and have missed the NCAA Tournament only three times since 2010. Five times since 2010 the Aztecs have finished the season ranked in the AP top 25, including each of the last two years. The Aztecs figure to be a factor again in the MW championship hunt, as the media has picked them to finish second in the preseason MW poll. This could be Miles’ team’s chance to get a statement win at home against a major program.