3 Key Notes From MSU Basketball's First Official Practice
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EAST LANSING -- Lots of expectations and anticipation surround this upcoming season of Michigan State basketball.
The Spartans are probably going to be ranked inside the top 10 of this year's preseason AP Poll, and the concept of national title contention hardly seems absurd. But for now, it's only September, and Tuesday was only MSU's first official practice. Here's what popped up from Tom Izzo's first press conference of the '26-27 season and the team's first practice.
Couple of Injury Updates
Izzo has clarified that the team won't start practice at 100% health. Don't worry, there isn't anything worth canceling the season over. Rising junior guard Kur Teng has probably had the most notable ailment as of late.
He had to undergo foot surgery this offseason and was the lone scholarship player to not participate in this year's Moneyball Pro-Am. He spent the whole offseason rehabbing, though, and was out there practicing Tuesday afternoon.
Kaleb Glenn is also back and ready to debut in the green and white. He's set to have a pretty big role on the wings for Michigan State this year after missing the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign with a knee injury. Izzo said the main issue hasn't been getting Glenn up to speed physically, but overcoming the mental obstacles that come with the major injury Glenn suffered. That aligns with what Glenn said about his injury when asked about it during Moneyball, too.
"Kaleb had a little bit of a slow summer, and I think it's because he was never injured," Izzo said. "He was healthy, but just mentally, you could see he wasn't [100%]...He is now 100% full go."
What was truly new information was a pretty minor left ankle sprain for rising sophomore forward Cam Ward. He's still in uniform during practice, but he spent most of his time rehabbing it off to the side.
This isn't the kind of injury that should affect Ward's status for the start of the season and the opener against Quinnipiac on Nov. 2, but maybe there's a chance Izzo and MSU hold him out for the Oct. 2 exhibition against Incarnate Word. Izzo said Ward should be out only a week or so and didn't seem very concerned.
Official Release of Schedule
Michigan State also officially announced its full 2026-27 schedule just before Izzo made his way to the lectern. Pretty much the entire slate was already figured out -- the Big Ten released dates for all 20 conference games last Wednesday, and nearly the entire non-conference schedule was already known through MSU announcements, other schools' announcements, and some reputable reports.
The only game that wasn't known was a home game against Northern Iowa on Friday, Nov. 13. That's another pretty interesting mid-major for Izzo to put on the schedule. UNI made the NCAA Tournament as a 12 seed last year and shouldn't be a complete pushover.
2026-2027 schedule is SET 🗓️ https://t.co/zFMPmdbUpq pic.twitter.com/HmEdGHAfXE
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) September 22, 2026
"We're going to play six games against top-12 teams pretty early in the season," Izzo said while including exhibitions. "I like the schedule. I still like when we play home-and-homes. I like that more, but we can't turn down a game like the one in Detroit [against Arkansas] or California [against Gonzaga], because we do have to get to places where not only our donors are, but where our recruits can be."
Overall, the Breslin Center schedule is a little disappointing. The Spartans don't play a high-major opponent at home during the out-of-conference schedule (though they have an exhibition game against UConn, and Arkansas in Detroit should be a very friendly crowd), and most big games on the Big Ten schedule are on the road.
Depth, Depth, and More Depth
Michigan State also projected confidence in its depth and versatility lineup-wise. The Spartans are carrying 12 scholarship players this year, and it really feels like all 12 have a realistic shot at being a part of the rotation. There are maybe some shades of the 2024-25 team that played 10 every single game, sometimes including an 11th.
"You can put anybody out there, and they all kind of know what they're doing, besides some of our new guys," star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. said. "We're just trying to get those guys up to speed. But when they get it, you can mix and match and sub in and out. You never know whose day it might be."
Full Tom Izzo Presser
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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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