What To Watch For in Spartans' First Exhibition Match
The Michigan State Spartans kick off exhibition play with a matchup against Coach Tom Izzo's alma mater, Northern Michigan University, on Sunday afternoon.
With it being the first contest of the season, there will be two significant pieces to look for from the Spartans' performance that can still be evaluated against an inferior opponent.
Presence in the Paint
The Spartans had a strong paint presence last year, stacking up evenly with a majority of the Big Ten. It will be up to multiple young returners to lead the charge in the paint as a few experienced newcomers join the team.
Junior bigs, Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler are the two veteran returners that need to play a bigger role this season. Cooper averaged just 3.4 points per game while Kohler averaged 2.0. Their minutes will rise and the production must as well.
They will have help from two transfer big men that will give the Spartans more depth and size. Fifth-year senior center Szymon Zapala is a 7-0, 245-pound monster that transferred from Longwood University where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
The other senior transfer is forward Frankie Fidler from Omaha University. He is arguably the most talked about player the Spartans have brought in after he averaged 20.1 points per game last season.
If those four can command a strong post presence, playing a majority of the minutes, the Spartans will be able to recover from losing their top two post players from last season, Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko.
New Players Establishing Roles
Coming between five freshmen and two transfers, seven of the 16 players on the roster are first-years with the program. It will take time for this group to come together and much will be asked of the returners to help gel this group seamlessly. This exhibition will be a great kickstart to that process.
There is an added hype surrounding freshman guard Jase Richardson, son of former Spartan legend and 15-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson. Jase will be expected to receive a fair amount of minutes this Sunday and continue the family legacy in the Green and White.
Another freshman who might surprise some people is guard Kur Teng. A four-star recruit out of Haverhill, Massachusetts, he was the No. 1-ranked high school player in the state by 247Sports.
The Spartans' top three scorers from last season are no longer with the program and it will be intriguing to see who will fill those roles. Izzo will likely empty the bench and give minutes to every player, showing looks for what is to be expected from the entire roster.
The Spartans and Wildcats tip off at 1 p.m. EST this Sunday at the Superior Dome in Marquette, Michigan.
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