Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s non-conference schedule

Michigan State released its men’s basketball non-conference schedule Tuesday, featuring several games already on the calendar and few others of varying interest.

The notable bookmarks begin with an exhibition game in against Northern Michigan University at the Superior Dome on Oct. 13 in Marquette, the season-opener against Monmouth on Monday, Nov. 4, a date with Kansas on Nov. 12 in the Champions Classic and three games in three days at the Maui Invitational, beginning Nov. 25 against Colorado.

Here’s MSU’s complete non-league slate, followed by three quick takes on it:

Oct. 12: At Northern Michigan, 1 p.m. (Exhibition)Oct. 29: Ferris State (Exhibition)Nov. 4: MonmouthNov. 7: NiagaraNov. 12: Kansas, in AtlantaNov. 16: Bowling GreenNov. 19: SamfordNov. 25-27: Maui Invitational (Nov. 25 Colorado, 5 p.m. ET; Nov. 26 UConn/Memphis, 6 p.m./3:30 p.m; Nov. 27 North Carolina/Dayton/Iowa State/Auburn, TBD)Dec: 17 Oakland, in DetroitDec 21: Florida AtlanticDec 30: Western Michigan

1. A lot of good in-state and MSU connection matchups

This is exactly what a non-conference schedule for MSU ought to look like, beyond the featured marquee games — matchups with in-state mid-majors and programs with fun connections to MSU’s program and the Lansing area.

The exhibition at Northern Michigan’s Superior Dome is the chef’s kiss, a bucket-list game for Tom Izzo (at his alma mater) and one of the cool event games MSU has done.

Beyond that, in the mid-major realm, this is close to as good as it gets — with visits from Bowling Green and Western Michigan, and the semi-annual trip to play Oakland at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Bowling Green’s second-year head coach is Fowler native Todd Simon. The Falcons’ associate head coach is former MSU point guard Tum Tum Nairn. Simon, whose wife Kati is also from the area (a Pewamo-Westphalia alum), previously brought his Southern Utah program to face MSU in 2017.

Western Michigan’s head coach is long-time former MSU assistant (and player) Dwayne Stephens, who’s entering his third season with the Broncos. His top assistant, Chris Fowler, was a grad assistant on Izzo’s staff at one point. Same for WMU assistant Manny Dosanjh, who came with Stephens from MSU. Williamston’s Max Burton is redshirt sophomore on WMU’s team.

In this age of roster fluctuation, it’s hard to know just how good many mid-major programs will be year to year. For example, Bowling Green won 20 games last season but will feature 10 new players this season. But all three programs — BG, WMU and Oakland — should be, at minimum, competitive mid-tier, mid-major teams.

MSU is going to play a handful of mid-majors every season. It’s nice to see three of those be in-state or nearby schools with some familiarity and connection to fans. That bolsters the schedule, gives it more appeal, even if not adding to the level of competition.

2. MSU’s Maui Invitational draw could be fun

Beyond facing Kansas (which might be the preseason top-ranked team in the country) at the Champions Classic in Atlanta, the highlight of MSU’s non-conference schedule is the Maui Invitational, which MSU last played in early in the 2019-20 season.

MSU opens there against a Colorado team that has a rebuilt roster, so it’s tough to gauge the Buffaloes. That game is on Monday, Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. (ET). The Spartans will then play either two-time defending national champion Connecticut or Memphis the next day, and then, on Wednesday, from the other side of the bracket, either North Carolina, Dayton, Auburn or Iowa State.

There are a number of potentially interesting and challenging matchups for MSU in Maui. UConn, despite losing players to the NBA, is projected to be a top-five team again. Iowa State, North Carolina and Auburn are likely to all be a highly ranked teams. In other words, the Spartans caught a break with their first game, but might face nothing but top 10-ish teams from then on. But that’s what you want for MSU — a chance to test itself and maybe boost its resume in one of the more fun, intimate settings in college basketball.

3. December Big Ten schedule and a matchup with FAU will decide how difficult this nonleague slate feels

The two Big Ten games MSU plays in early December aren’t part of the non-conference schedule, but they fall in the middle of it and are part of the November/December schedule feel. If the Spartans wind up with a couple games against lesser Big Ten teams, that’ll make the non-conference schedule seem more manageable. If there’s at least one NCAA tournament-caliber Big Ten team in those two December games, the whole thing could feel like a gauntlet. Because MSU is a TV draw and the networks want their best TV matchups later in the season, MSU has usually faced lesser Big Ten brands in December. We’ll see if that changes with four additional Big Ten teams and MSU having gone four seasons without really being in contention itself. We could know as early as later this week.

Another MSU game to watch in December — Dec. 21 against Florida Atlantic. FAU has a new coach and a remade roster, but this a program that was in the last three NCAA tournaments and the Final Four two years ago. Facing the Owls right before Christmas could be a tricky game.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X at @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball non-conference schedule released: 3 quick takes