No. 6 Michigan State and Toledo barely have time to review their season openers before returning to the court Thursday night in East Lansing, Mich.
The Spartans are looking to build on Monday’s convincing 96-59 victory over Quinnipiac, while the Rockets hope to bounce back from a 71-70 loss at Arkansas State.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is experimenting with ways to make the most of the limited time between games as he continues to work several newcomers into the rotation.
“The goal now: we’re trying a few new things on two-day preps,” he said.
Izzo said the quick turnaround is one of the challenges of college basketball, particularly early in the season when coaches are still learning about their teams and opponents.
“We don’t know how good or bad any of these teams are for a while until we get a couple of weeks in,” Izzo said. “Toledo has been really good. They’re next on deck, but so many new faces.”
Michigan State had little trouble in its opener, using defensive pressure and a strong rebounding performance to take control. The Spartans shot 58.1 percent from the field, outrebounded the Bobcats 46-27, blocked eight shots and led by as many as 40 points.
Jeremy Fears Jr. had 13 points and 11 assists, while Coen Carr added 12 points. Newcomer Anton Bonke contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds as six Spartans scored in double figures.
The Spartans are replacing starting frontcourt players Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper from the team that reached the Sweet 16 last season. Bonke, a 7-foot-2 transfer from Charlotte, is among the newcomers Izzo is counting on to help fill that void.
Toledo nearly rallied from a 12-point deficit against Arkansas State, the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Rockets tied the game at 70 with 30 seconds remaining before Arkansas State won it on a free throw with four seconds left.
“We made some big plays down the stretch. We were right there,” Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “We did a great job of battling back, but our offense put us in that spot because of our turnovers.”
Mynor Strong led Toledo with 18 points, while Jaylan Ouwinga finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. UMass Lowell transfer Angel Montas Jr. added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Toledo reached the Mid-American Conference championship game last season before losing 79-76 to Akron on a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining. The Rockets haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 1980, despite winning four consecutive MAC regular-season titles from 2021-24.
Toledo finished 19-15 last season and was picked to finish second behind Miami in this year’s MAC preseason poll.
Center Austin Parks is the Rockets’ lone returning starter. He averaged 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. Strong and Ouwinga also return after playing key roles in Toledo’s late-season improvement.
The Rockets also added experienced transfers — Montas, Sean Jones from Marquette and Rich Barron from Providence. Jones and Parks were named to the preseason All-MAC second team.
Toledo plays its first three games on the road in six days, with a trip to Marshall scheduled for Saturday.
“We have a very tough schedule to open the season,” Kowalczyk said. “We just need to stay together and stay positive. Michigan State will be a huge challenge for us on Thursday night.”
