Michigan State hopes to prep for regular season in Tennessee exhibition. And win.
EAST LANSING – Winning isn’t the primary goal in Michigan State’s Sunday against Tennessee at the Breslin Center.
The exhibition won’t count in the Spartans’ record, at after all, and it’s a valuable opportunity for Izzo to get younger players playing time and work on his playing rotation.
But if the score is close in the second half and home fans are starting to get loud, Izzo admits that the final score just may become more important.
“The competitive juices are going to go,” Izzo said.
Sunday’s game (3:30 p.m., BTN) marks a rarity for Michigan State: a public exhibition game against a top-10 opponent. Michigan State is ranked No. 4 in the preseason poll, while Tennessee is ranked No. 9.
Michigan State in recent years has played one Division 2 exhibition and one closed scrimmage; it has played Gonzaga and faced Tennessee last year. In those closed scrimmages, Izzo typically makes a point to play younger players extensively and work on things like zone defense and out-of-bounds plays. The final score is important but not the primary concern.
