EAST LANSING — It is something out of a dream for Tom Izzo: His basketball squad kicking off (or tipping off) a football Saturday.
It also is a return to Michigan State basketball’s bygone past: An open scrimmage to show off Izzo’s team that could be his next opportunity at a second national title.
And he’s doing it with one thing in mind: Rallying the Spartans’ fan base, ahead of his own season of high expectations and in the midst of the football team’s ongoing misery, with No. 2 Michigan visiting Spartan Stadium that night.
“I haven’t done it in a long while,” Izzo said after a spirited, intense practice Thursday. “I’m just trying to keep continually dragging this whole place together. The more people that can get around it, that’s the reason why.”
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Breslin Center opens at 2 p.m., and the scrimmage starts at 2:30. Admission is free.
The football game begins at 7:30 p.m., and tailgate lots open at 11 a.m. Fans without a football parking pass may park in public access pay lots.
“We haven’t done this since I’ve been here,” said senior guard A.J. Hoggard, who arrived at MSU during the 2020-21 season, which featured no fans in the stands due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of people there. It’s definitely prepping for the ravalry football game. So if they get a chance to see us before the football game, I think it’ll be very fun and exciting.”
Izzo’s team is ranked No. 4 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and coming off a 21-16 finish in 2022-23 capped by a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Spartans bring back all but Joey Hauser and Pierre Brooks from that squad and add a highly regarded freshman class that includes forwards Xavier Booker and Coen Carr and guards Jeremy Fears Jr. and Gehrig Normand. Hoggard and junior Jaden Akins returned after exploring their NBA draft prospects, and Tyson Walker comes back for his extra season of eligibility.
Izzo said his players are eager to get things underway next week, with a 7 p.m. Wednesday exhibition game against Hillsdale, followed by a charity exhibition on Oct. 31 against No. 10 Tennessee to benefit Maui relief efforts. The regular season begins Nov. 6 against James Madison, followed by a visit from Southern Indiana on Nov. 9. All of those games are at Breslin Center before MSU takes on No. 3 Duke in the Champions Classic on Nov. 14 in Chicago.
Which makes Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage a teaching tool for Izzo before things get real.
“I want these guys to get used to playing in front of people, too” Izzo said. “We’re going to coach them Saturday. It’s not gonna be a dink-around thing like it was at (Michigan State) Madness. I want guys to get coached on Saturday, so we’ll see how the young freshmen respond to getting some coaching.”
One Spartan who won’t be playing is sophomore forward Jaxon Kohler, who underwent left foot surgery Tuesday for a stress reaction. He was in a boot and on a scooter but in his practice gear during Thursday’s workout.
Izzo said Kohler will miss six to eight weeks but should be back by Christmas. That means using Booker, sophomore Carson Cooper and potentially senior Malik Hall more in the low post, along with returning senior starter Mady Sissoko.
“We do have more depth right now. And that helps,” Izzo said. “But Jaxon was playing really well. So it bothers me, because he’s in great shape and has been playing real well. … You never want injuries. But if you have to have them, I’d rather it now than in the middle of the season.”
Contact Chris Solari:[email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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