Predictions for Michigan State Basketball’s Opener vs. Colgate
Michigan State basketball season is about to begin, as the 22nd-ranked Spartans will open their campaign against Colgate. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Plus.
This year's team has a difficult act to follow, as MSU certainly will be a target for everyone they face after going 30-7 last year, making the Elite Eight, and winning the Big Ten by three games.
On this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, let's take a look at this matchup, talk about some of the observations from the team's exhibitions against Bowling Green and No. 4 UConn, and what big things to look for are.
The full episode can be watched below. In addition, a quick look at Colgate can be found a little further down.
Watch the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast here:
Looking at Colgate
Looking at the Spartans' opponent, Colgate can certainly be a pesky mid-major for a power conference team to face. KenPom slots the Raiders at No. 205 nationally in its preseason rankings, which is the second-best ranking in the Patriot League.
Last season, Colgate had a down year, finishing 14-19 and exiting in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. But it's a down year because the Raiders had won the Patriot League regular season five times in the six seasons before 2024-25. They won the conference tournament and were the Patriot League's NCAA Tournament representative five times in that span, as well.
Colgate played three power-conference opponents last year and was competitive in two of them. The Raiders only lost by two at Syracuse, were routed by 25 at N.C. State, and lost at No. 5 Kentucky by 11. They only trailed by two at halftime of their lone game against a ranked opponent.
The best returner Colgate has is junior guard Jalen Cox. His 11.9 points per game were second on the team, but Cox also averaged 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. He was a Third-Team All-Patriot League honoree and was on the conference's All-Defensive team.
Cox is Colgate's only returning player who averaged at least 10 points per game last year. The next-best guy coming back is another junior guard, Parker Jones, who averaged 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last season.
Among returning players, Jones shot the most three-point attempts per game (4.1), and he made 36.6% of them.
Final Prediction: Michigan State 76, Colgate 60
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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.