Michigan State basketball: Scouting Colgate and a prediction

Michigan State basketball will face Colgate on Monday night, and here’s everything you need to know about the season opener.

It’s basketball season, folks. Michigan State basketball kicks off the 2025-26 season on Monday at Breslin Center with a non-conference matchup against Colgate.

Here’s a brief scouting report on the Raiders, along with what I’m watching for with MSU.

Scouting Colgate

If you’re a college basketball junkie, like me, Colgate is a name you recognize. The Raiders have been the class of the Patriot league recently, winning the league five times in the past seven seasons.

Given that success, it’s a bit surprising that head coach Matt Langel hasn’t been poached for a higher-level job. Nonetheless, he enters his 15th season in Hamilton, New York looking to get the Raiders back on track.

Colgate is coming off a surprising down year, where they finished 14-19 without a postseason appearance. Under Langel, the Raiders’ calling card has been their offense. They run beautiful half-court offense and consistently rank in the top 50 in effective field goal percentage.

But last year, the offense didn’t click. And Colgate’s usual defensive issues caught up to them, throwing things off almost immediately. The Raiders started 2-9 last season and never could recover.

This year’s team returns 10 players from last season. And while that continuity should help improve their connectivity on offense, it’s fair to wonder how improved they will be overall.

For what it’s worth, the Raiders were competitive last season against power five opponents. They nearly beat Syracuse and lost by 11 to Kentucky. But even at their best, with NCAA tournament teams, the Raiders’ lack of athleticism has been exposed.

It’s traditionally a small team, and they often get dominated on the glass against the big boys. And their offensive efficiency is built on getting good looks at the rim. That’s much tougher to do against athletic teams with size.

Michigan State storylines

The reigning Big Ten champions come into this season with high expectations, as is usual under Tom Izzo. The Spartans aren’t expected to repeat as champions in the league. But a top 25 ranking and an NCAA Tournament appearance feel well within their grasp.

I’m curious to get a look at Michigan State’s offense, especially in the half court. The Spartans lost Jase Richardson to the NBA, sharpshooter Jaden Akins graduated, and combo guard Tre Holloman now plays for N.C. State.

Those three often carried MSU offensively last season. Jeremy Fears Jr. is the lone member of last season’s backcourt that remains. Newcomer Trey Fort (Samford), Divine Ugochukwu (Miami), and Sophomore Kur Teng figure to work alongside him.

There’s a lot of uncertainty here, especially at the off-guard position. Fears was solid in his role last year, but this roster construction is going to demand a lot more out of him. He’s going to lead this team in minutes. And he’s going to have the ball in his hands a LOT. Can he take care of the basketball? Can he be a better scorer? Can he threaten defenses with an outside shot? The answers to these questions likely determine Michigan State’s ceiling.

Elsewhere, I’m dying to get a look at Coen Carr. Social media has tempted us with some dazzling highlights this offseason. But I’m interested to see if any of that translates to game action. Last year, Carr settled in beautifully to a role off the bench that asked him to do almost everything except score. But this year, he’s going to be asked to do more offensively. How does he handle that responsibility without sacrificing the other parts of his game that he does so well?

And I’m curious to see what the Michigan State freshmen look like. Cam Ward and Jordon Scott are both top 100 guys, but neither is a blue chipper like, say, Jaren Jackson. But neither was Jase Richardson. And he became MSU’s best player by season’s end.

Both should have a role on this team. Because beyond Fears, Carr, Kohler, and Cooper, it feels like there is a lot of playing time up for grabs. Kaleb Glenn’s injury also provides an opening for either or both young guys to get involved.

Prediction

Whether it’s in the Champions Classic, on an aircraft carrier, or in a similar spot at home against James Madison, Michigan State basketball is a notoriously slow starter under Tom Izzo.

It’s one of the reasons his teams get better as the season progresses. He’s not afraid to try different things early in the season, even if it results in a loss. But it’s hard for me to envision MSU losing this game.

They have a significant athletic advantage here. And even though Colgate returns a lot of veterans, I’m not convinced that’s a positive from a team that went 10-8 in the Patriot League a year ago.

MSU should be able to use their size to own the glass. And I don’t expect Colgate’s defense to be able to keep the Spartans out of transition. MSU should be able to use their size and athleticism to enforce their will on defense. Again, even Langel’s best teams have taken it on the chin when they step up in competition.

Final: Michigan State 78, Colgate 57