MSU's Izzo Anticipating Tough Test on Road vs. Unbeaten Nebraska
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- It was difficult to hear oneself think at times during Michigan State's Wednesday afternoon practice. The ninth-ranked Spartans were blasting crowd noise in anticipation of a raucous environment in Lincoln against Nebraska on Friday night (9 p.m. ET, Peacock).
"Sometimes," Tom Izzo said when asked how often he does that. "Not a ton of times. We've got some new guys. We've got some transfers that have never seen it, done it, been there. We just want to try it for a couple days to give them a little better idea."
Nebraska's Hot Streak
No team in college basketball is on a longer win streak than the 13th-ranked Cornhuskers. Nebraska is 13-0 this season and has won 17 straight overall, dating back to last season, when it missed the NCAA Tournament, but won the newly created "College Basketball Crown" tournament that includes four rounds and 16 teams.
This Cornhuskers team has much bigger aspirations than a consolation tournament, though. Nebraska has (shockingly) not won an NCAA Tournament game before, but this squad looks like a threat to take a couple of games in the Big Dance. This is the highest the Huskers have been since being ranked 11th in 1991.
"It's going to be interesting to see what we're capable of," Izzo said. "This is going to be a challenge. We've probably played more talented teams, but we've never played a team like this on their home court. And that's why it's going to be fun to see how my guys respond."
Michigan State has certainly played a difficult schedule thus far. This will be the Spartans' fifth game of the young campaign against a team currently ranked inside the AP Top 25. The one thing that was missing from the Spartans' non-conference schedule was a premier non-conference game on the road.
MSU has only played one true road game this year, which was the Penn State game on Dec. 13. The Spartans won that game, 76-72, but it can hardly be classified as one of Michigan State's top performances this season.
Additionally, Penn State can hardly be described as a super difficult place to play. No offense to Nittany Lions fans --- they create one of the best atmospheres in football --- but basketball is certainly not their forte. Even though Nebraska is historically a lower-tier basketball program, Lincoln has been established as a tough place to go to for opponents for a while.
"I went down there with Nick Saban for the football game [in Lincoln in 1996], and it was an incredible atmosphere," Izzo said. "But it was different. It was a different atmosphere than most places. Most places hate the opponent, this and that --- there is so much respect there. It's bizarre.
"In football, it was that way. In basketball, it was that way. I'm sure they'll get onto us some way, but, I mean, they are fans of Nebraska. And I have a lot of respect for their fans, because they have grown some, but that place was sold out when they weren't very good."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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