The 2022–23 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were led by 28th-year head coach Tom Izzo and played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season 21–13, 11–8 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament to Ohio State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East region. This marked the school's 25th straight selection to the NCAA tournament making it the third longest streak, second longest active streak, and the longest streak by a coach in men's basketball ever. The Spartans defeated USC and Marquette to advance to their first Sweet Sixteen since 2019. There they lost to Kansas State.
On August 11, 2022, the school announced that it had signed Izzo to a five-year $31 million contract extension making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation.
Previous season The Spartans finished the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 23–13, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for seventh place. As the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Maryland and Wisconsin to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Purdue. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the West region, marking MSU's 24th straight trip to the NCAA tournament, the second longest active streak. They defeated Davidson in the First Round before losing to Duke in the Second Round. The Spartans were led by Gabe Brown who averaged 11.6 points per game.
With a win over Toledo on December 4, 2021, Izzo earned his 650th win as head coach of the Spartans. With a win over Maryland on March 6, 2022, Izzo surpassed Bob Knight for the most wins by a men's basketball coach at a Big Ten school with 663.
Offseason
Coaching changes On April 4, 2022, associate head coach Dwayne Stephens left the team after 19 years as an assistant coach to accept the head coaching position at Western Michigan. On June 3, the school announced that former MSU player and graduate assistant Thomas Kelley had been hired to replace Stephens. Kelley had been an assistant at Western Michigan and had been retained by Stephens when he took over at WMU.
On June 9, the school announced that former assistant coach Mike Garland, who had transitioned to a special assistant to the head coach for the 2021–22 season, had retired. Garland had been with Izzo and the MSU program for 22 seasons.
On August 1, the school announced that Jon Borovich had been hired at the team's Director of Recruiting.
Departures On March 26, 2022, senior forward Gabe Brown announced he would not return to MSU to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared for the NBA draft. Also on March 26, center Marcus Bingham Jr. announced he would also declare for the draft. Neither player was selected in the draft.
On April 1, guard Max Christie announced he would enter the NBA draft process and on May 16 announced he would hire an agent and remain in the draft. Christie was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Also on April 1, former walk-on guard, Davis Smith, son for MSU great Steve Smith, announced he had entered the transfer portal. On May 2, he withdrew his name from the portal. On April 19, forward Julius Marble announced he had entered the transfer portal as well. On May 2, he announced he was transferring to Texas A&M. Walk-on forward Peter Nwoke announced he would transfer to Southern Indiana. DeparturesNameNo.Pos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotesMarcus Bingham Jr.30C7'0"230SRFarmington, MINBA draftGabe Brown44F6'6"225SRYpsilanti, MINBA draftMax Christie5F6'6"190FRArlington Heights, ILNBA draftJulius Marble II34F6'8"245JRDallas, TXTransferred to Texas A&MPeter Nwoke35F6'7"215FRLagos, NigeriaTransferred to Southern Indiana
Returning players On April 20, forward Joey Hauser announced he would return to MSU, taking advantage of the extra year of COVID-19 eligibility.
Recruiting class On August 7, 2021, four-star point guard Trejuan Holloman announced that he would attend MSU in 2022. On September 19, four-star forward Jaxon Kohler committed to play for the Spartans in 2022. On May 8, 2022, two-star center Carson Cooper, considered a "late bloomer" in the recruiting world, committed to the Spartans.
Preseason
Preseason Big Ten poll Prior to the conference's annual media day, unofficial awards and a poll were chosen by a panel of writers. Michigan State was picked to finish fourth in the conference.
Preseason rankings The Spartans were not ranked in the preseason AP poll for the second consecutive year. This marked the first time since 1996 that MSU was unranked in the preseason poll in back-to-back years.
Injuries On September 13, 2022, the school announced that guard Jaden Akins had suffered a stress reaction in his left foot. Surgery was performed and it was expected he would miss four weeks. Prior to the first official practice of the year, it was announced the forward Malik Hall had a toe injury and would miss a couple of weeks.
Preseason scrimmage Michigan State played Tennessee in a closed-door preseason scrimmage in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 23.
Exhibition The Spartans played an exhibition game against Grand Valley State on November 1, 2022, at Breslin Center. After losing to the Lakers in a 2007 exhibition game, the Spartans trailed 36–31 at the half. Led by Malik Hall, who scored 15 points, the Spartans rallied to win in the second half 73–56. MSU, still without Jaden Akins, started AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Hall, Joey Hauser and Mady Sissoko.
Regular season
Early non-conference games
Northern Arizona The Spartans begin the season playing Northern Arizona at Breslin Center on November 7, 2022. The Spartans beat the Lumberjacks easily 73–55 as Joey Hauser scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds in the easy win. Sophomore guard Pierre Brooks added 14 points while make four three-pointers for the Spartans. The win moved the Spartans to 1–0 on the season.
Gonzaga The Spartans travelled to face No. 2-ranked Gonzaga on Veterans' Day on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The Spartans played well, led by Mady Sissoko's 10 first-half points and let 38–31 at halftime. Shooting became more difficult as the sun set and cooler conditions set in, but the Spartans pushed their lead to as many as 12 early in the second half. However, foul trouble set in as Joey Hauser and Sissoko both fouled out while Malik Hall finished with four fouls. The Bulldogs' Drew Timme led Gonzaga back to a late lead, scoring 22 points to lead all scorers. Trailing by one with 31 seconds remaining, the Spartans called a timeout. But Tyson Walker, who scored 12 points and added three assists, slipped twice on the final play leaving Jaden Akins to take an off-balance three-pointer as the clock ran out and the Spartans lost 64–63. Sissoko finished with a career-high 14 points. AJ Hoggard added 12 points and six assists while Malik Hall scored 11 in the loss. The Spartans fell to 1–1 on the season.
Kentucky MSU faced another top-five team, No. 4-ranked Kentucky, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the first game of the Champions Classic on November 15. The Spartans played well, keeping within striking distance of the Wildcats throughout the first half and led 36–34 at the half. In the second half, neither team could run away with the game and the Spartans trailed by two when Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe blocked AJ Hoggard's layup attempt out of bounds with four seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbound play, Malik Hall found himself wide open in front of the basket for a dunk to tie the game and force overtime. After Tshiebwe fouled out in overtime, the Spartans again found themselves down by two with seven seconds remaining. Taking the ball out from under the Kentucky basket, Hoggard hit Walker breaking down the court who found Hall and was again wide open for a dunk to tie the game. In the second overtime, UK went up 76–73 before the Spartans closed the game on a 10–0 run including two dunks from Mady Sissoko on an assists from Walker. Joey Hauser led the Spartans with 23 points while Hall added 20 in the win. The 86–77 win moved MSU to 2–1 on the season.
Villanova The Spartans returned home to face Villanova as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games on November 18. MSU started the game well, leading for the majority of the first half and holding a 10-point lead at halftime. Tyson Walker led the Spartans with 22 points from all over the court, making three three-pointers and hitting six twos. The Spartans pushed the lead to as many as 16 with less than eight minutes remaining. However, the Wildcats closed the lead to one with 49 seconds left in the game. Walker made one of two free throws to push the lead to two with 16 seconds left and Villanova was forced into a long three-point attempt as the clock expired that fell short. As a result, the Spartans held on for the 73–71 win. Joey Hauser and AJ Hoggard each scored 13 for the Spartans while Malik Hall added 12 in the win. The win moved the Spartans to 3–1 on the season.
Phil Knight Invitational Alabama The newly ranked No. 12 (AP) Spartans traveled to face No. 18 Alabama at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland on Thanksgiving Day. Prior to the game, the team announced the Malik Hall would be sidelined for about three weeks with a stress reaction in his left foot. The team also announced that Jaden Akins would likely miss the tournament after reinjuring his foot. Despite this, the Spartans kept the game close against the Crimson Tide for the first half and trailed by five at the break. In the second half, Alabama was able to pull away and secure an 81–70 win. Tyson Walker led the Spartans with 21 points while AJ Hoggard added 18. However, no other player scored in double figures for the Spartans in the loss. The loss dropped MSU to 3–2 on the season.
Oregon As a result, the Spartans faced Oregon in the consolation round of the tournament on November 25. Tyson Walker again led the way for the Spartans, scoring 18 points while Joey Hauser also scored 18. Oregon, also suffering injuries that limited their roster, kept the game close throughout however. Pierre Brooks added 15 points while Hauser secured 10 rebounds as MSU held on for the 74–70 win. The win moved the Spartans to 4–2 on the season.
Portland After a day off, the Spartans faced Portland, who had upset Villanova previously, in the fifth place game of the tournament. Portland shot the ball extremely well in the first half, and made 13 three-pointers in the game. MSU only had eight three-pointers, but converted on 57% of them to keep the game close. The Pilots pulled away for an eight-point halftime lead, but the Spartans responded in the second half with 10 straight points to erase the deficit. All five MSU starters scored in double figures and the Spartans led by double digits with three minutes remaining. However, the Pilots narrowed the lead to one after a miss by the Spartans with 8.1 seconds left. With a chance to tie it, AJ Hoggard forced a tough shot and punched the rebound out of the lane as the clock ran out to give MSU the 78–77 win. Tyson Walker again led the Spartans with 16 points while Pierre Brooks added 15 and Joey Hauser contributed 14. The win moved the Spartans to 5–2 on the season.
Notre Dame