[39], On March 29, 2018, Nick Ward announced he too would enter the NBA draft, but he would not sign with an agent. SportsPulse: After a tough loss to Syracuse, Michigan State star Miles Bridges fought back tears during his press conference. Nick Ward recovered from his difficult game against the Jayhawks to shoot seven of 11 from the field and made 11 free throws while scoring 25 points to lead the Spartans. Tillman passed the ball to Winston who sprinted ahead of Duke defenders and ran out the clock to secure the victory 68–67 victory. [114] Michigan State released its full schedule on August 21, 2018. [46] The Spartans were ranked 10th in both the AP and Coaches preseason polls. Then Sunday, their shooting vanished. MSU even played all five freshmen from its recruiting class at the same time late in the game as the Spartans won easily 104–83. [51] Gonzaga won both halves, 58–46 in the first and 52–46 in the second. 13 Terps to cushion Big Ten lead", "Michigan State topples Maryland despite stars struggling. 10. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices! The Phoenix shot well from the field early, making 10 of their first 15 shots and taking a 24–20 lead. On October 27, 2018, the Spartans scrimmaged against No. [101] MSU finished the game on a 10–0 run to earn their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2016. *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll, NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics, 2018–19 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings, 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, "Michigan State's banner day: Beats Michigan, wins Big Ten, on Senior Night", "Michigan State coach Tom Izzo 'staying humble' after 600th victory", "Bradley nearly stunned No. Cassius Winston had 13 points and eight assists while Thomas Kithier played 10 important minutes in Ward's absence. [27], In April 2018, most early pollsters included Michigan State as a preseason top-15 team for the 2018–19 season. MSU moved the lead to as much as 22 in the second half and finished with a 69–55 victory. Langford, Foster Behind Cassius Winston's 23 points and eight assists, the Spartans moved to within four points with less than three minutes remaining in the game. “I’ve got some recruiting to do. [42], On October 5, Michigan State held its annual Midnight Madness at Breslin Center. Michigan State's Miles Bridges: 'Probably the saddest I've ever been in my life'. Cassius Winston rebounded from his poor outing against Penn State in the previous game and led the way with a career-high 29 points. MSU returned home to face a struggling Nebraska team. MSU dominated Minnesota on the glass, out-rebounding the Gophers 45–19. The newly AP-ranked No. Copyright: © 2020 ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. He would eventually foul out with about four minutes remaining in the game. 20 Wisconsin looking to continue their winning ways. The game remained tight throughout the first half, but MSU pulled away late to earn a 70–64 win, without both Josh Langford or Kyle Ahrens for the second consecutive game. © 2020 www.freep.com. 10 Spartans", "Michigan State vs. Kansas - Game Recap - November 6, 2018 - ESPN", "MSU basketball's Kenny Goins scores career high to stay close vs. Kansas", "Florida Gulf Coast vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - November 11, 2018 - ESPN", "UL Monroe vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - November 14, 2018 - ESPN", "Michigan State's Nick Ward suffers ankle sprain in win over Louisiana Monroe", "Tennessee Tech vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - November 18, 2018 - ESPN", "Michigan State vs. UCLA - Game Recap - November 22, 2018 - ESPN", "Michigan State basketball dominates UCLA with 3-point barrage, 87-67", "Michigan State rallies past Texas, 78-68, to win Las Vegas tournament", "Michigan State vs. Texas - Game Recap - November 23, 2018 - ESPN", "Louisville basketball upsets No. [24][25], Following a tumultuous season off the court, it was rumored that the Orlando Magic were interested in at least interviewing Tom Izzo for their vacant head coaching position. Marcus Height: 6-5 Avg. [104] The win moved MSU to the Second Round to face Big Ten foe Minnesota. Nick Ward scored all 21 of his points in the first half as the Wildcats chose not to double team him. [17], On April 5, 2016, four-star power forward Thomas Kithier announced he would attend Michigan State. The 2018–19 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Iowa increased its lead again to eight early in the second half before MSU countered with 24–2 run to put the game out of reach. Joshua Langford added 14 as MSU moved to 6–2 on the season and 1–0 in Big Ten play.[69]. The Spartans led throughout in the easy win over the struggling Gophers. Prior to the conference's annual media day, awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of 28 writers, two for each team in the conference. Kenny Goins notched a career-high 15 rebounds while Xavier Tillman added 11 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Tennessee's Yves Pons joins Out of Pocket to show off his cooking skills and tells whether coach Rick Barnes knows his way around the kitchen. Freshmen Gabe Brown (15 points) and Aaron Henry (20 points) each had career-highs in points as the Spartans ran away from the Tigers en route to an 80–63 victory. [7] In the Final Four, they lost to No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Winston, Jack Most pollsters included Michigan State in the preseason top 25 for the 2018–19 season: ESPN (No. The 2018–19 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Nick Ward did not start as Tom Izzo tried to send a message to his team. Nick Ward had one of the worst games of his MSU career, battling foul trouble and failed to score. Kenny Goi… MSU had an abnormally weak nonconference schedule, which was made easier when Florida had to be replaced by Houston Baptist because of the new Big Ten schedule. Kenny Goins added 16 points, while Xavier Tillman scored 14 as MSU was able to hold on for the surprising seven-point win 77–70 win. [43] The team announced they would wear throwback 1979 jerseys as they celebrated "40 Years of Magic."[43]. Sophomore Xavier Tillman also had 16 points.[52]. On November 6, 2018, MSU faced No. The win returned MSU to a first-place tie with Michigan atop the Big Ten standings at 12–3. [49][50] The scrimmage consisted of two 20-minute halves that both began scoreless, as well as two five-minute periods for freshmen and walk-ons. 1 while Nova tumbles in updated Way-Too-Early Top 25", "With the NBA deadline past, a new Top 25 for 2018–19", "2018-19 college basketball rankings: Changes in Top 25 (and 1) after NCAA draft withdrawal deadline", "MSU's Nick Ward submits name for NBA Draft, doesn't hire agent", "Nick Ward returning to Michigan State for junior year, withdrawing name from NBA draft", "MSU Basketball: Are you surprised Cassius Winston wasn't named captain? Did Joe Milton live up to the hype in debut? The Spartans played without Josh Langford who was in a boot before the game. [55] Cassius Winston had 11 points in the loss and turned the ball over five times. Cassius Winston led all scorers with 23 points and six assists as MSU was able to pull away at the end behind baskets by Goins and Nick Ward. Nick Ward rebounded from his recent struggles and scored 22 points to lead all scorers while Matt McQuaid added 18 in the romp over the Golden Gophers. Playing most of the half without Ward, the Spartans' defense clamped down holding the Buckeyes to only 13 points. Nick Ward played well, pouring in 20 points on seven of 12 shooting from the field. [75] Josh Langford struggled from the floor in the first half and did not play in the second with an ankle injury. Stats according to msuspartans.com; Key: ppg (points per game), rpg (rebounds), apg (assists), spg (steals), bpg (blocks), FG% (field-goal percentage), 3FG% (3-point field-goal percentage). 13),[38] and CBS Sports (No. Kenny Goins, who missed most of the previous game against Minnesota started and played well for the Spartans, scoring 12 points including three three-pointers as MSU was able to overcome Wisconsin's Ethan Happ who scored 20 points on the night. I like what we got coming in, I like what we got coming back,” Izzo said. Any loss gets magnified when winning a national championship is the goal. MSU, helped by Cassius Winston's 20 points, held on to notch another double digit win, winning 78–68 to earn the Invitational championship and pushing their record to 5–1 on the season. MSU led by more than 20 through portions of the second half, but Nebraska narrowed the lead to singled digits with 10 minutes remaining. [41], Shortly after the team started practice in late September 2018, head coach Tom Izzo announced that Matt McQuaid and Joshua Langford had been named team captains. Marcus Bingham brings the size that could be missing if Jackson leaves. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with the win as well. [56] Goins added a career-high 17 points and led the Spartans with 11 rebounds. [112] Three in-state series will be guaranteed home-and-homes: Illinois and Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, and Michigan and Michigan State will always play twice. [78] Nick Ward added 16 points as MSU played once again without Josh Langford. [24] According to scout.com, after the commit of Aaron Henry, the Spartans had the third best recruiting class in 2018. [71] The win moved the Spartans to 8–2 on the season. 25 by Lindy's Sports", "Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Releases Preseason Top 25", "Indiana picked to finish fourth in Big Ten by Athlon Sports", "Michigan State basketball picked to win Big Ten by media; Michigan No. With more than 30 seconds left in the game, the Hoosiers, fouled Cassius Winston with less than 10 seconds to go with a foul to give. The win also completed a three-game season sweep of in-state rival Michigan. The Buckeyes had beaten Indiana to advance to face Michigan State. The game remained tight throughout as the teams exchanged baskets. Kenny Goins hit a three-pointer with 34 seconds remaining in regulation to give Michigan State the lead. Bridges is projected to be taken in the middle of the lottery. [43] Tom Izzo appeared via a magic trick and the school announced a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 1979 NCAA National Championship team led by Earvin "Magic" Johnson. In the Sweet Sixteen, MSU faced No. Ending the season early gets amplified when that bar is not met, regardless of MSU’s other sizable achievements. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Why it matters", "Maryland vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - January 21, 2019 - ESPN", "Michigan State found blueprint for future success in gutsy win over Iowa", "Michigan State vs. Iowa - Game Recap - January 24, 2019 - ESPN", "Michigan State turns up the heat on No. Cassius Winston alone had nine turnovers. Hide/Show Additional Information For Marcus Bingham Jr. Hide/Show Additional Information For Braden Burke, Hide/Show Additional Information For Conner George, Hide/Show Additional Information For Nick Ward, Grand Rapids, Mich. / Grand Rapids Christian, Grand Rapids, Mich. / GR Catholic Central. Joshua Langford, who will be a junior, and Matt McQuaid, as a senior, will need to show more consistency from outside, something that cost the Spartans mightily Sunday.