2021–22 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

2021–22 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 10
Record	12–2 (3–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Tom Izzo (27th season)
Associate head coach	Dwayne Stephens (19th season)
Assistant coaches	Mike Garland (15th season) Doug Wojcik (3rd season) Mark Montgomery (11th season)
Captains	Gabe Brown Malik Hall
Home arena	Breslin Center

2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 19 Illinois	15	-	5		.750			23	-	10		.697
No. 14 Wisconsin	15	-	5		.750			25	-	8		.758
No. 10 Purdue	14	-	6		.700			29	-	8		.784
Rutgers	12	-	8		.600			18	-	14		.563
No. 16 Iowa †	12	-	8		.600			26	-	10		.722
Ohio State	12	-	8		.600			20	-	12		.625
Michigan State	11	-	9		.550			23	-	13		.639
Michigan	11	-	9		.550			19	-	15		.559
Indiana	9	-	11		.450			21	-	14		.600
Maryland	7	-	13		.350			15	-	17		.469
Penn State	7	-	13		.350			14	-	17		.452
Northwestern	7	-	13		.350			15	-	16		.484
Nebraska	4	-	16		.200			10	-	22		.313
Minnesota	4	-	16		.200			13	-	17		.433
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2021–22 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans are led by 27th-year head coach Tom Izzo and play their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference.

With a win over Toledo on December 4, 2021, Izzo earned his 650th win as head coach of the Spartans.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Spartans finished the 2020–21 season 15–13, 9–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for eighth place. The 9–11 finish marked the first time the Spartans had finished with a record under .500 in conference play under Izzo. As the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, they lost to No. 8-seeded Maryland marking the first time the Spartans did not play on the Friday of the Big Ten Tournament in the tournament's history. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 11 seed in the East region. The selection marked the school's 23rd straight tournament appearance which was the second longest active streak of tournament appearances. In their First Four matchup, they were defeated by eventual Final Four participant UCLA.

Offseason

Coaching changes

On April 5, 2021, it was announced that 10-year associate head coach Dane Fife had left the staff to join new Indiana coach Mike Woodson as an assistant at Fife's alma mater. This marked the first time in 10 years that the Michigan State coaching staff changed. On April 13, it was reported that MSU recruiting coordinator and former Izzo assistant Doug Wojcik had been promoted to assistant coach to replace Fife. Wojcik was previously an assistant with MSU from 2003 to 2005. Like current assistant coach Mike Garland, Wojcik left MSU for head coaching jobs before returning to MSU.

Graduate manager and former MSU player Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. announced he was leaving to coach at his old high school, Sunrise Christian Academy.

Izzo also announced that former assistant coach and Northern Illinois head coach Mark Montgomery would return to the staff as recruiting coordinator. Garrett Briningstool, an executive assistant to Izzo the past two years, was named director of basketball operations and chief of staff. He replaced former player David Thomas who had been director for six years and left for a private sector job. Former MSU player Matt McQuaid was named assistant director of basketball operations. Another former player, Austin Thornton, was hired as video coordinator. Julian Stall was named director of creative video.

Izzo later announced that Montgomery would be shifted to one of the three assistant coach positions while Garland would transition to an assistant to the head coach position where he would focus more on players on an individual level. This would also allow Garland to spend more time with his family.

Departures

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility for all winter sport athletes. Despite this, fifth-year senior guard Joshua Langford announced he would not return to Michigan State. Langford later announced that he would not pursue a professional basketball career.

On March 24, former walk-on guard, Jack Hoiberg, entered his name in the transfer portal. On March 29, sophomore guard Rocket Watts entered his name in the transfer portal. On April 13, it was announced that junior forward Thomas Kithier had also entered the transfer portal. On April 19, it was reported that junior point guard Foster Loyer had also entered the transfer portal.

On April 12, junior forward Aaron Henry announced he would forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the 2021 NBA draft. Henry was not selected in the draft, but signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers after the draft.

Departures

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Aaron Henry	0	F	6'6"	210	JR	Indianapolis, IN	Declared for NBA draft
Jack Hoiberg	10	G	5'11"	175	RS JR	Burr Ridge, IL	Transferred to UT Arlington
Thomas Kithier	15	F	6'8"	230	JR	Clarkston, MI	Transferred to Valparaiso
Joshua Langford	1	G	6'5"	200	GS	Huntsville, AL	Graduated
Foster Loyer	3	G	6'0"	175	JR	Clarkston, MI	Transferred to Davidson
Rocket Watts	2	G	6'2"	185	SO	Detroit, MI	Transferred to Mississippi State

Recruiting classes

2021 recruiting class

On April 22, 2020, four-star shooting guard Pierre Brooks announced he would play for Michigan State in 2021. Brooks would later be named Michigan's Mr. Basketball for 2021. On July 7, Max Christie, the No. 1-ranked shooting guard in Illinois and ranked No. 13 overall nationally, announced he would also play for the Spartans in 2021. Christie was later named the 2021 Chicago Sun-Times Illinois High School Association player of the year. On August 13, Jaden Akins, a four-start point guard and the No. 70 overall player in the 2021 class, committed to MSU. On February 3, 2021, Keon Coleman, a three-star wide receiver announced he would attend Michigan State to play football, but also said he would walk-on with the basketball team as a guard. On April 30, forward Peter Nwoke announced that he would join the Spartans as a preferred walk-on during the fall.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jaden Akins PG	Farmington, MI	Sunrise Christian Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Aug 13, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Pierre Brooks SG	Detroit, MI	Douglass Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Apr 22, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Max Christie SG	Arlington Heights, IL	Rolling Meadows High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jul 7, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

2022 recruiting class

On August 7, four-star point guard Trejuan Holloman announced that he would attend MSU in 2022. On September 19, four-star forward Jaxon Kohler committed to play for the Spartans in 2022.

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Trejuan Holloman PG	St. Paul, MN	Cretin-Derham Hall High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 10, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 82
Jaxon Kohler F	American Fork, UT	Southern California Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Nov 10, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Incoming transfers

On April 28, 2021, the NCAA officially adopted a measure that would allow athletes in all sports to transfer once without sitting out a season beginning with the 2021–22 season.

On March 27, Northeastern point guard and 2021 Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Walker announced that he would transfer to Michigan State. Walker averaged 18.8 points and 4.8 assists per game in his final year at Northeastern. On April 23, Purdue wide receiver Maliq Carr announced that he would transfer to Michigan State to play football and walk on to the men's basketball team. In July, it was announced that two more transfers had joined the team as preferred walk-ons: Jason Whitens from Western Michigan and Michael Peterson from Ferris State. Due to the NCAA's change in the transfer policy, all four players were eligible to play immediately.

Transfers

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Maliq Carr		G	6'5"	230	RS FR	Oak Park, MI	Purdue
Michael Peterson	20	F	6'6"	200	SR	Rockford, MI	Ferris State
Tyson Walker	2	G	6'0"	170	JR	Westbury, NY	Northeastern
Jason Whitens	43	G	6'4"	185	SR	Powers, MI	Western Michigan

Early offseason rankings

Most early rankings for the 2021–22 season listed Michigan State as a preseason top-25 team. These included ESPN (No. 22), Sports Illustrated (No. 18), Yahoo! Sports (No. 13), USA Today (No. 13), CBS Sports (No. 18), Sporting News (No. 9), Stadium (No. 20), and NCAA.com (No. 16).

Preseason

COVID-19 vaccinations

Izzo announced on September 28 that the entire staff and all players in the MSU program (from the coaches on down to Breslin Center janitors) had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Izzo stated he was proud of his team for being fully vaccinated.

Preseason Big Ten poll

Prior to the conference's annual media day, unofficial awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of writers. Michigan State was picked to finish sixth in the conference.

Preseason rankings

For the first time since 2011, the Spartans were not ranked in the initial AP poll released on October 18, 2021. MSU was 26th in the poll, receiving 87 votes. Izzo stated he was not happy about not being ranked, but understood it. The Spartans were also not ranked in the Coaches poll, but did receive votes.

Exhibition

The Spartans played two exhibition games at Breslin Center prior to the opening of the season.

The first game was on October 27 against Division II Ferris State. Gabe Brown led the Spartans with 19 points while freshman Max Christie wowed with 17 points in his debut. The Spartans won easily 92–58. The starting lineup consisted of Tyson Walker, Christie, Brown, Joey Hauser, and Marcus Bingham Jr.

The second game was against Grand Valley State on November 4. The Spartans used the same starting lineup and were led by Christie with 14 points. Hauser scored 13 points, five assists, and led the team with nine rebounds. Walker led the team with six assists in the 83–60 win.

Injuries

On November 3, it was announced that walk-on transfer Jason Whitens would miss the season with a torn ACL. He suffered the injury in the exhibition game against Ferris State.

Regular season

Early non-conference games

Kansas

The Spartans traveled to Madison Square Garden to face No. 3-ranked Kansas on November 9 in the Champions Classic. The Spartans played well in the first half despite foul trouble for starting point guard Walker. AJ Hoggard played well, leading the Spartans with 17 points, but MSU struggled with turnovers. As a result, the Spartans trailed by seven at the half. Kansas was able to continue to take advantage of the 16 MSU turnovers and led by as many as 19 in the second half. The Spartans were able to narrow the lead to 10 late in the second half, but could get no closer, losing 87–74. Julius Marble scored 13 for the Spartans while Bingham led with seven rebounds in the loss. The Spartans fell to 0–1 on the season.

Western Michigan

The Spartans next played Western Michigan at Breslin Center on November 12. Following a slow start where the Broncos made four of their first eight three pointers and led 15–8, MSU took control and won easily. WMU ended up making only one other three-pointer in the game, finishing five of 28. The Spartans led 46–25 at the half and dominated the game even though they too shot poorly from three, only making four of 19 shots. Brown led the Spartans with 17 points while Bingham and Hauser each had 12 points. Walker had a much better game, playing 20 minutes while scoring nine points and dishing out five assists. Hoggard also played well, scoring seven and leading the team with seven assists. The Spartans dominated the glass, outrebounding the Broncos by 30 in the easy 90–46 win. The win moved MSU to 1–1 on the season.

Butler

MSU returned to the road to play Butler at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse for the Gavitt Tipoff Games on November 17. The game marked Izzo's 900th career game as head coach at MSU and his first visit to Hinkle. MSU jumped out to an early 22–8 lead, limiting Butler to only 25% from the field in the first half, and led by eight at halftime. In the second half, the Bulldogs narrowed the lead to six, but MSU responded quickly and pulled away again to win easily 73–52. The Spartans did continue to struggle with turnovers, giving up the ball 20 times in the game. However, MSU shot the ball better, shooting 46.9% from the field and 33% from three. Brown led all scorers with 19 on four of 10 shooting from three. Christie scored a career-high 18 and Bingham added 10 points, six blocks, and six rebounds. The Spartans again dominated the glass, outrebounding Butler 41–25. The win moved MSU to 2–1 on the season.

Eastern Michigan

The Spartans next played Eastern Michigan on November 20 in East Lansing. MSU started poorly, trailing early as Izzo stated his team was not properly prepared for the start of the game. As a result, EMU hung around early before MSU pulled away late in the first half to lead by 18 at the break. Bingham scored 19 points and added 12 rebounds for his first career double-double. Malik Hall, who started for Hauser (minor calf injury), scored 15 while Brown added 10 as the Spartans pulled away for an 83–59 win. Walker had six assists and Hoggard added five as MSU only turned the ball over 10 times. However, MSU had its poorest shooting effort on the season, making only 44% of their shots. The win moved MSU to 3–1 on the season.

Battle 4 Atlantis

The Spartans next traveled to The Bahamas to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, marking MSU's second appearance in the tournament. The bracket was announced on July 28 with Michigan State to face Loyola in the quarterfinals.

Loyola Chicago

The first game of the tournament took place on November 24 as the Spartans took on former graduate assistant and new Loyola coach, Drew Valentine. The Spartans started well, opening a 9–0 lead in the game, but were outscored 28–14 thereafter and trailed at the half 28–23. MSU again suffered turnover problems, turning the ball over 20 times in the game. However, they were able to lead for most of the second half as Hall shot a perfect 9–9 from the floor including one three-pointer and five free throws. Hall's career-high 24 points led all scorers, but the game was tied with 16 seconds left in the second half as MSU took a timeout. On the ensuing play, Walker found Bingham wide open for an alley-oop dunk to give MSU the two-point lead with four seconds left. Loyola's last second half-court shot was no good as the Spartans held on for the 63–61 win. Bingham added 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks in the game. The win moved MSU to 4–1 on the season.

UConn

In the semifinal of the tournament on November 25, MSU took on No. 22-ranked UConn on Thanksgiving Day. The Spartans again started well, taking another early lead, but were able to hold the lead this time and led by eight at the half, 32–24. Brown scored 16 for the Spartans in the game as MSU surrendered the lead and trailed by as many as seven with less than five minutes remaining in the game. However, MSU finished the game on an 9–0 run over the last 1:41 of the game to pull out the 64–60 win. Helped by a questionable late foul call on UConn, MSU only turned the ball over 12 times in the game. Hall, after scoring 24 in the previous game, managed only two points, but Marble scored 15 to move MSU to 5–1 on the season.

Baylor

Moving on to the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis and playing their third game in three days, the Spartans took on No. 6-ranked Baylor on November 26. The Spartans continued their strong play in the first half, keeping close to Baylor throughout and only trailing by two at the half, 38–36. However, the Spartans struggled in the second half, shooting only 36% from the field and missing all seven three-pointers after going 4–8 from three in the first half. As a result, the Bears were able to pull away from MSU for the easy 75–58 win. Jaden Akins scored a career-high 12 points in the loss while Brown led the Spartans with 13. The loss dropped MSU to 5–2 on the season.

Louisville

The newly-ranked Spartans (No. 22 in AP and Coaches Poll) returned home to face Louisville in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge on December 1. The Spartans started well, taking an early lead, but turnovers again caused problems for MSU. Louisville was able to keep the game close for most of the first half despite MSU's great defensive effort, limiting the Cardinals to 37% shooting overall and only 16% from three in the first half. In contract, MSU shot the ball well (48% from the field and 60% from three) and was able to pull away to take a 36–28 lead at halftime. The Cardinals again narrowed the lead early in the second half as MSU turned the ball over 19 times, but the Spartan defense took over while MSU continued to shoot the ball well and pushed the lead to as many as 20. Some late substitutions allowed Louisville to pull within eight with about two minutes remaining, but the Spartans held on for the 73–64 win. MSU shot 46.9% from the field and 55.6% from three. Hall again played well, scoring 15 points, including 3–3 from three, coming off the bench for the first time since the Butler game. Bingham added nine points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Christie, who had struggled in the Battle 4 Atlantis, rebounded with 11 points while Akins scored 10 points in only 10 minutes. The win moved MSU to 6–2 on the season and led Izzo to comment after the game that he was happy to start the season with this record considering who they had played.

Toledo

The Spartans next faced Toledo on December 4 at Breslin. The Spartans missed their first four shots before Brown scored the Spartans first seven points. The Spartans failed to make a three-pointer until 13:16 remained in the first half and were tied at 10. From then on, MSU took control of the game, shooting 41% from the field and 52% from three in the first half, moving the lead to as many as 26. The Rockets scored the final six points of the first half to narrow MSU's lead to 20 at half time. In the second half, Toledo, who had shot only 26% from the field in the first half, played much better. The Rockets were able to narrow MSU's lead to singled digits on multiple occasions, but MSU's defense did the job limiting Toledo to only 35% (16% from three) shooting in the game as the Spartans held on for the 81–68 win. Christie led the Spartans with 14 points while Brown added 12. Walker scored his most points as a Spartan, 11, and added six assists. The Spartans were able to limit their turnovers in the game to 12 as they moved to 7–2 on the season. The win also marked Izzo's 650th win at MSU.

Early conference games

Minnesota

MSU, now ranked No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the Coaches poll, began its conference schedule with two early Big Ten games, first visiting Williams Arena to face undefeated Minnesota. After being blown out by Minnesota in 2020, the Spartans controlled the game from the tip. Hall and Brown each had 15 points, while Walker added a season-high 15 as well. MSU led by double figures for most of the first half and only turned the ball over five times in the half while limiting the Gophers 30% shooting (18% from three). The Spartan offense also played well in the half, making six of 11 three-pointers and leading by 13 at the half. In the second half, the Spartans pushed the lead to as many as 20, but late turnovers brought Minnesota closer. However, MSU was able to hold on for the 75–67 win. The Spartans shot 48% from the field in the game while limiting to Minnesota 39%. The win moved MSU to 8–2 on the season and 1–0 in conference play.

Penn State

The Spartans returned to home face Penn State on December 11. MSU started well, taking an early, but the Nittany Lions kept the game close until MSU was able to pull away late in the first half and led 42–29 at the half. The Spartans shot 53% from the field in the first half despite making only four of 12 three-pointers. MSU was able to limit Penn state to no three-pointers in the half despite shooting 43% from the field. In the second half, MSU pushed the lead to as many as 19, but the Lions were able to prevent a bigger lead. However, they could not cut the lead to single digits as the Spartans pulled away. Bingham had his second double-double of the season with a career-high 13 rebounds and 12 points while Brown scored 15 to lead the Spartans MSU scored 31 fast break points while PSU only scored three. MSU shot much better from three in the second half, hitting five of nine shots to shoot 42% for the game as they won easily 80–64. Walker scored 10 points for MSU and added nine assists as he continued his strong play. The win moved MSU to 9–2 on the season and 2–0 in conference play.

Remaining non-conference games

Oakland

After playing 11 games in 33 days, the Spartans had a 10-day break before taking on Oakland on December 21 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. MSU shot the ball well, shooting over 55% from the field and 39% from three. Christie appeared to shake off his recent shooting slump, making 75% of his shots including four of six three-pointers. Walker notched his first double-double, scoring 10 points and dishing out 10 assists. Walker only turned the ball over once as well and Hoggard also played well, with seven assists and one turnover. Christie and Bingham both scored 17 for the Spartans while Brown added 14 and Hall scored 13. Bingham added 12 rebounds. Oakland was able to keep the game close throughout, but never really threatened as the Spartans won 90–78. The win moved MSU to 10–2 on the season.

High Point

The Spartans had another break, this time for eight days, before playing High Point on December 29. The day before the game, Izzo announced that four players, including starters Bingham and Christie, would not be available for the game after testing positive for COVID-19. MSU, newly ranked No. 10 in both polls, started slowly in the game, missing their first eight shots and trailed by one at the half. In the second half, the Spartans were finally able to pull away as Brown scored a career-high 24 points while Hauser notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Hoggard added eight assists as the Spartans missed Christie and Bingham defensively, allowing the Panthers to shoot 46% from the field including 52% from three. Meanwhile, MSU shot 50% from three and 47% from the field. The Spartans, with only 10 available players, pulled out the win 81–68. The win moved the Spartans to 11–2 on the season.

Remaining conference games

Northwestern

The Spartans traveled to face Northwestern on January 2, 2022. Christie and Bingham both returned to the lineup, but the Spartans struggled in the first half, trailing by as many as 13. MSU struggled from the field, making only one of 10 three-pointers, but were able to narrow the lead to seven at the half. In the second half, MSU took the lead behind Brown's 20 points. Northwestern did not go away however as the game turned into a free throw shooting contest with 36 fouls and 51 free throws attempted by the two teams in the second half. Walker fouled out for MSU and struggled, failing to score. Bingham added 13 while Christie added 11 as the game was still in doubt until Brown hit a three-pointer with less than a minute remaining to extend the lead to five as the Spartans held on for the road win, 73–67. The win moved MSU to 12–2 on the season and 3–0 in conference play.

Nebraska

MSU will welcome Nebraska to Breslin on January 5.

Roster

On September 28, Izzo announced that Gabe Brown and Malik Hall had been selected captains. Izzo said they were near-unanimous selections as the team's captains.

In early October, Izzo stated that he was still open to Maliq Carr and Keon Colemen, both on the MSU football team, to joining the team. However, he encouraged them to help "take care of football business" prior to doing so. At the MSU media day on October 20, Izzo announced that walk-on Davis Smith, son of former Spartan player Steve Smith, was given a scholarship. Izzo said that he had not been given the scholarship because of who his father was; that he had earned it.

2021–22 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 3 Jaden Akins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Farmington, MI F 30 Marcus Bingham Jr. 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Catholic Central HS Grand Rapids, MI G 1 Pierre Brooks 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Douglass Academy Detroit, MI F 44 Gabe Brown (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Belleville HS Ypsilanti, MI G 5 Max Christie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Rolling Meadows HS Arlington Heights, IL F 25 Malik Hall (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Sunrise Christian Academy Aurora, IL F 10 Joey Hauser 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Marquette Stevens Point HS Stevens Point, WI G 11 A. J. Hoggard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Huntington Prep Coatesville, PA G 13 Steven Izzo (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Jr Lansing Catholic East Lansing, MI F 34 Julius Marble II 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Jesuit HS Dallas, TX F 35 Peter Nwoke (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Orchard Lake St. Mary's Lagos, Nigeria G 20 Michael Peterson (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS Ferris State Rockford HS Rockford, MI C 22 Mady Sissoko 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Wasatch Academy Bafoulabé, Mali G 14 Davis Smith 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Westminster Atlanta, GA G 2 Tyson Walker 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Northeastern Christ the King Prep Westbury, NY G 43 Jason Whitens  (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Western Michigan North Central HS Powers, MI	Head coach Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan) Assistant coach(es) Dwayne Stephens (Michigan State) Mark Montgomery (Michigan State) Doug Wojcik (Navy) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

On September 8, 2021, the Big Ten announced the conference schedule.

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+		Ferris State	W 92–58		19 – Brown	6 – Hauser	5 – Walker	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
November 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+		Grand Valley State	W 83–60		14 – Christie	9 – Hauser	6 – Walker	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
Regular season
November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN		vs. No. 3 Kansas Champions Classic	L 74–87	0–1	17 – Hoggard	7 - Tied	4 – Hoggard	Madison Square Garden (18,132) New York, NY
November 12, 2021* 6:30 p.m., BTN		Western Michigan	W 90–46	1–1	17 – Brown	12 – Hauser	7 – Hoggard	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS1		at Butler Gavitt Tipoff Games	W 73–52	2–1	19 – Brown	6 - 3 Tied	5 – Walker	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN
November 20, 2021* 5:00 p.m., BTN+		Eastern Michigan	W 83–59	3–1	19 – Bingham Jr.	12 – Bingham Jr.	6 – Walker	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
November 24, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN		vs. Loyola–Chicago Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinal	W 63–61	4–1	24 – Hall	9 – Bingham Jr.	4 – Walker	Imperial Arena (1,104) Nassau, Bahamas
November 25, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN		vs. No. 22 UConn Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal	W 64–60	5–1	16 – Brown	10 – Brown	5 – Hoggard	Imperial Arena (1,173) Nassau, Bahamas
November 26, 2021* 11:00 a.m., ESPN		vs. No. 6 Baylor Battle 4 Atlantis championship	L 58–75	5–2	13 – Brown	5 – Brown	2 - 3 Tied	Imperial Arena (1,305) Nassau, Bahamas
December 1, 2021* 7:15 p.m., ESPN	No. 22	Louisville ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 73–64	6–2	15 – Hall	12 – Bingham Jr.	10 – Walker	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
December 4, 2021* 5:00 p.m., BTN	No. 22	Toledo	W 81–68	7–2	14 – Christie	7 – Akins	6 – Walker	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
December 8, 2021 9:00 p.m., BTN	No. 19	at Minnesota	W 75–67	8–2 (1–0)	15 - 3 Tied	9 – Hall	4 – Hall	Williams Arena (11,178) Minneapolis, MN
December 11, 2021 2:00 p.m., BTN	No. 19	Penn State	W 80–64	9–2 (2–0)	15 – Brown	13 – Bingham Jr.	9 – Walker	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
December 21, 2021* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+	No. 11	vs. Oakland Detroit Showcase	W 90–78	10–2	17 - Tied	12 – Bingham Jr.	10 – Walker	Little Caesars Arena (16,837) Detroit, MI
December 29, 2021* 3:00 p.m., BTN	No. 10	High Point	W 81–68	11–2	24 – Brown	11 – Hauser	8 – Hoggard	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
January 2, 2022 2:00 p.m., BTN	No. 10	at Northwestern	W 73–67	12–2 (3–0)	20 – Brown	9 - Tied	4 – Walker	Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,716) Evanston, IL
January 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 10	Nebraska						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
January 8, 2022 2:30 p.m., FOX	No. 10	at Michigan Rivalry						Crisler Center  Ann Arbor, MI
January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN		Minnesota						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
January 15, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN		Northwestern						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
January 21, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1		at Wisconsin						Kohl Center  Madison, WI
January 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		at Illinois						State Farm Center  Champaign, IL
January 29, 2022 12:30 p.m., CBS		Michigan Rivalry						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
February 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		at Maryland						Xfinity Center  College Park, MD
February 5, 2022 4:00 p.m, FS1		at Rutgers						Jersey Mike's Arena  Piscataway, NJ
February 8, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN		Wisconsin						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
February 12, 2022 3:30 p.m., FOX		Indiana						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
February 15, 2022 6:30 p.m., BTN		at Penn State						Bryce Jordan Center  University Park, PA
February 19, 2022 2:30 p.m., FOX		Illinois						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		at Iowa						Carver–Hawkeye Arena  Iowa City, IA
February 26, 2022 TBA, ESPN/ESPN2		Purdue						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
March 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		at Ohio State						Value City Arena  Columbus, OH
March 6, 2022 4:30 p.m., CBS		Maryland						Breslin Center  East Lansing, MI
Big Ten Tournament
March 9–13, 2022 TBD		vs. TBD						Gainbridge Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source

Player statistics

Individual player statistics (through January 4, 2022)

			Minutes		Scoring		Total FGs			3-point FGs			Free-Throws			Rebounds
Player	GP	GS	Tot	Avg	Pts	Avg	FG	FGA	Pct	3FG	3FA	Pct	FT	FTA	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Avg	A	Stl	Blk	TO
Aikens, Jaden	14	1	222	15.9	62	4.4	23	53	.434	9	22	.409	7	15	.467	14	26	40	2.9	9	9	6	14
Bingham, Jr., Marcus	13	13	286	22.0	143	11.0	56	96	.583	2	8	.250	29	41	.707	29	74	103	7.9	5	12	37	19
Brooks, Pierre	9	0	34	3.8	12	1.3	4	10	.400	2	5	.400	2	3	.667	1	6	7	0.8	3	0	0	5
Brown, Gabe	14	14	407	29.1	204	14.6	67	152	.441	35	88	.398	35	40	.875	17	47	64	4.6	15	11	5	17
Christie, Max	13	13	393	30.2	124	9.5	41	112	.366	18	56	.321	24	31	.774	11	35	46	3.5	21	7	8	18
Hall, Malik	14	4	303	21.6	136	9.7	52	86	.605	14	26	.538	18	22	.818	19	46	65	4.6	19	4	1	21
Hauser, Joey	13	10	287	22.1	94	7.2	27	72	.375	14	40	.350	26	29	.897	22	61	83	6.4	23	5	4	19
Hoggard, AJ	14	0	260	18.6	95	6.8	35	78	.449	4	12	.333	21	36	.583	4	23	27	1.9	63	9	6	31
Izzo, Steven	3	0	4	1.3	0	0.0	0	1	.000	0	1	.000	0	0		0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Marble, Julius	14	1	187	13.4	83	5.9	31	51	.574	0	1	.000	21	27	.778	11	31	42	3.0	3	5	8	13
Peterson, Michael	5	0	8	1.6	0	0.0	0	1	.000	0	1	.000	0	0		0	2	2	0.4	0	1	1	0
Sissoko, Mady	13	0	68	5.2	14	1.1	5	8	.625	0	0		4	12	.333	3	14	17	1.3	0	0	8	4
Smith, Davis	6	0	12	2.0	0	0.0	0	1	.000	0	0		0	0		0	0	0	0.0	1	0	0	0
Walker, Tyson	14	14	329	23.5	91	6.5	33	85	.388	12	22	.545	13	19	.684	3	18	21	1.5	73	20	3	32
Total	14		2800		1058	75.6	374	809	.462	110	282	.390	200	275	.727	156	417	573	40.9	235	82	87	197
Opponents	14		2800		916	65.4	336	865	.388	91	316	.288	153	241	.715	136	320	456	32.6	165	97	54	154

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	Avg	Average per game
FG	Field-goals made	FGA	Field-goal attempts	Off	Offensive rebounds
Def	Defensive rebounds	A	Assists	TO	Turnovers
Blk	Blocks	Stl	Steals

Source

Rankings

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	22	19	12	11	10	10												Not released
Coaches	RV	RV^	RV	22	20	12	10	10	10

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.
^Coaches do not release a Week 1 poll.

Awards and honors

In-season awards

Name	Award	Date
Max Christie	Big Ten Freshman of the Week	December 6, 2021
		December 13, 2021
		December 27, 2021