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Michigan State Basketball Tips Off in Exhibition vs. Northwood

By Colton Wesley

Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans celebrate winning the Big Ten Championship against the Purdue Boilermakers during the Big Ten conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Michigan State defeats Purdue 66-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans celebrate winning the Big Ten Championship against the Purdue Boilermakers during the Big Ten conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Michigan State defeats Purdue 66-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball will begin their quest for a 20th consecutive NCAA tournament berth on Thursday in their exhibition opener against Northwood.

The Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team will open up their exhibition season on Thursday, as they host the NCAA Division II Northwood Timberwolves.

The Spartans are looking to replace four starters from last season’s team, including AP Player of the Year and Chicago Bulls first-round draft pick Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, Matt Costello and one-and-done Deyonta Davis, all of whom graduated or went to the NBA. Senior Eron Harris is the Spartans’ only returning starter.

Michigan State won the Big Ten tournament in 2015-2016 and earned a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to 15-seed Middle Tennessee State 90-81 in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history, which head coach Tom Izzo called “the worst defeat ever.”

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The Spartans will attempt to replace those players with one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. Freshmen Miles Bridges, a small forward from Flint, Mich. who was one of the most highly-rated recruits in the country last season, Joshua Langford, Cassius Winston and Nick Ward are all “going to play,” according to Izzo.

The Spartans are dealing with some injuries as well, as UNLV graduate transfer Ben Carter and Gavin Schilling will each miss the early part of the season with knee injuries.

The Timberwolves came in last place in the North Division in the Preseason GLIAC Coaches Poll after finishing 15-13 (11-11) last season and losing four seniors coming into this year. Michigan State has hosted Northwood for an exhibition game before, defeating them 76-45 in 2009.

Tip will be at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night at the Breslin Student Event Center in East Lansing, Mich. The game will not be broadcast on cable or satellite TV, and will only be available for streaming on BTNPlus on a subscription basis. The radio broadcast of the game, however, will be available on the Spartan Sports Network.

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The Spartans will play one more exhibition game, hosting Saginaw Valley State on November 2 at 7:00. Michigan State’s regular season will begin on November 11 against Arizona in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

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