The 2023–24 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were led by 29th-year head coach Tom Izzo and played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 14,797 in 16 games in 2024–25.
With a win over Michigan on January 30, 2024, his 69th birthday, Tom Izzo earned his 700th career win, all at MSU. The Spartans finished the regular season 20–15, 10–10 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten tournament, MSU defeated Minnesota in the second round before losing to top-seeded Purdue in the quarterfinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the West region, extending Izzo's record-setting streak to 26 straight tournament appearances. They defeated Mississippi State in the first round before losing to No. 1-seeded North Carolina.
During the Christmas break, freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was shot in his thigh in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois. He underwent three hours of surgery and was discharged from the hospital on Christmas Eve. As a result, he missed the rest of the season.
Previous season The Spartans finished the 2022–23 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. The Spartans were led by Tyson Walker who averaged 14.8 points per game and Joey Hauser who averaged 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Offseason
Coaching changes On July 13, 2023, the school announced MSU alum Lorenzo Guess had been named the team's head of strength and conditioning, replacing Marshall Repp who left the team in July.
Departures On March 24, 2023, forward Joey Hauser, who could have applied for a medical redshirt year, announced he would not return for another year to MSU. He received an invite to the NBA G League combine. On March 29, sophomore guard Pierre Brooks announced he was transferring to Butler. DeparturesNameNo.Pos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotesJoey Hauser10F6'9"230RS SrStevens Point, WIGraduatedPierre Brooks1G6'6"225SoDetroit, MI Transferred to Butler
Returning players On April 10, 2023, senior guard and leading scorer Tyson Walker announced he would return to the Spartans for a fifth year (third at MSU) pursuant to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next day, senior forward Malik Hall announced he too would return for a fifth and final season with the Spartans.
On April 21, junior shooting guard Jaden Akins announced he was entering the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Junior point guard AJ Hoggard also submitted his name for the NBA draft, but made no announcement. Neither player was invited to the draft combine. On May 31, both players announced they had withdrawn their names from the NBA draft and would return to MSU.
Recruiting class On January 6, 2022, top-35 prospect, four-star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. announced he would attend Michigan State in 2023. On July 30, five-star forward Xavier Booker also announced he would play for the Spartans in 2023. On August 2, four-star forward Gehrig Normand announced he too would play for MSU in 2023. With these three commits, the MSU 2023 class was ranked the fourth best class in the country. On August 9, four-star forward Coen Carr also announced that he would play for the Spartans in 2023. His announcement moved MSU's recruiting class to the third in the country at the time. All four players signed letters of intent on November 9 making the class the nation's third best. In ESPN's final class rankings, MSU's class was ranked as the fourth best in the nation.
Early offseason rankings Most early rankings for the 2023–24 season listed Michigan State as a preseason top-12 team. These included 247Sports (No. 12), CBS Sports (No. 11), ESPN (No. 3), Fox Sports (No. 8), Sports Illustrated (No. 10), The Athletic (No. 6), The Sporting News (No. 11), and USA Today (No. 7).
Preseason
Preseason Big Ten polls Michigan State was picked to finish in second place in the conference by an annual, unofficial preseason poll of basketball writers. In the same poll, Tyson Walker was named to the preseason first team while A. J. Hoggard was named to the second team. In an official conference preseason poll conducted by a panel of media members, Walker and Hoggard were each named to the preseason All-Big Ten team .
Preseason rankings After not being ranked in the preseason AP poll the prior two seasons, MSU received one first place vote and began the season ranked No. 4 in the country. The Spartans were also ranked No. 4 in the Coaches poll. The Spartans were also ranked in the top five of most other preseason rankings including Blue Ribbon Yearbook (No. 5), ESPN (No. 4), FOX Sports (No. 4), and Lindy's Sports (No. 4).
Injuries On October 18, 2023, the school announced that sophomore forward Jaxon Kohler underwent foot surgery and would miss the beginning of the season. He was expected to return before Christmas.
Scrimmage The Spartans held a team scrimmage on October 21, to help bring in fans for the later Michigan State-Michigan football game.
Exhibition games MSU played Division II Hillsdale in an exhibition at Breslin Center on October 25. The Spartans won easily as six players score nine or more points. A. J. Hoggard and freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. each had a game-high eight assists. Carson Cooper and Tyson Walker each scored 13 points in the 85–43 win.
On October 29, the Spartans played No. 9-ranked Tennessee in an exhibition game at Breslin Center. The Spartans fell behind 15–1, but battled back to keep the game close throughout. However, they trailed by five with 13 seconds left before an A. J. Hoggard three tied the game with less than five seconds left. A foul by Tre Holloman with 1.9 seconds gave the Volunteers two free throw attempts to win the game. Tennessee's Jordan Gainey made one of the two to give the Volunteers the 89–88 win. Tyson Walker led MSU with 22 points while Jaden Akins had 12 points and a team-high six assists.
Regular season
Early non-conference games
James Madison The Spartans opened the season at home against James Madison on November 6. Just like in their prior exhibition game, the Spartans started slowly, falling behind James Madison and trailing throughout the first half. The Spartans were able to narrow the lead to single digits by halftime and trailed 37–33. In the second half, MSU took the lead, but could not pull away as the teams exchanged the lead through the second half. With just under 1:30 left in regulation, the Spartans led by four, 68–64. The Dukes rallied to tie the game and Tyson Walker missed a jumper as time expired to send the game to overtime. Trailing by two with 39 seconds left, Walker made one of two free throws and the Dukes hit a three with 10 seconds left to push their lead to four. A Walker layup and a missed free throw by JMU left the lead at three with just over two seconds remaining. Walker had the ball knocked away before he could get off a shot as the Spartans fell 79–76. The loss marked the first Spartan home loss in November under Tom Izzo and the school's first home loss in November since 1986. Walker led all scorers with 35, but only freshman Coen Carr also scored in double figures for the Spartans. The Spartans were 1–20 from the three point line.
Southern Indiana The Spartans next faced Southern Indiana on November 9 in East Lansing. The Spartans still continued to struggle shooting, again making only one three-pointer in the game. However, against a lesser foe, the Spartans cruised to an easy 74–51 win. MSU limited the Screaming Eagles to 14% from the field as USI only scored 14 points in the first half. Tyson Walker again led the Spartans in scoring, making six of seven shots and scoring 14 points. Three other Spartans (Jaden Akins, Malik Hall, and Mady Sissoko) also scored in double figures in the win. MSU shot much better from the free throw line as well, making 23 of 28. The win moved MSU to 1–1 on the season.
Duke MSU next traveled to Chicago to face Duke in the Champions Classic on November 14. The Spartans held the game close in the first half, but trailed by 11 at the half. The Spartan struggles from three continued in the first half as MSU made only two of 13 three-pointers in the first half. In the second half, the Spartans made several runs, narrowing the lead to a three a few times, but could get no closer as they lost 74–65. The Spartans improved their three point shooting in the half, making four of six shots. Tyson Walker again led the Spartans with 22 points and Malik Hall added 18. A.J. Hoggard only had two points, but did notch eight assists in the loss. The game was decided at the free throw line as the Blue Devils outshot MSU with 30 free throw attempts to the Spartans 12. The loss dropped MSU to 1–2 on the season.
Butler MSU returned home to face Butler as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games on November 17. MSU shot the ball much better in the game, making 42% of their threes in the first half as they took a halftime lead of 12, 37–25. Tyson Walker again played well for the Spartans, scoring 21 points as MSU pulled away for an easy 74–54 win. The Spartans shot 47% from the floor including 35% from three in the win. Meanwhile, they held the Bulldogs to only 28% shooting. A. J. Hoggard scored 14 for MSU while Carson Cooper got the start over Maddy Sissoko and notched a career-high 11 rebounds. Malik Hall added 12 points as the Spartans moved to 2–2 on the season.
Alcorn State Two days later, Alcorn State came to East Lansing. Tyson Walker did not play due to an illness; Tre Holloman got the start in his place and scored a career-high 17 points, including making all five three-pointers. The Spartans blew out the Braves 81–49. The Spartan defense again played well, limiting Alcorn State to only 16 points in the first half and holding them to 26% shooting from the field. MSU made a season-high 10 three-pointers and shot 40% from three in the win. Jaden Akins added 11 points while A. J. Hoggard and Coen Carr each scored 11 in the easy win.
Arizona The Spartans traveled to Palm Springs, California to face No. 3 Arizona on Thanksgiving as part of the Acrisure Classic. The Wildcats took an early lead in the first half and led through the half, with MSU trailing by as many as 14. Arizona led by 10 at the half. In the second half, MSU came out with more aggression and narrowed the lead to single digits before taking the lead with 4:37 left. However, Arizona outscored MSU 11–4 in the final minutes to secure the 74–68 win. Tyson Walker led all scorers with 18 points while A. J. Hoggard scored 15 and Jaden Akins scored 12. MSU shot under 30% from three in the game as they dropped to 3–3 on the season.
Georgia Southern MSU returned home to face Georgia Southern on November 28. Michigan State routed the winless Eagles 86–55. Four Spartans scored in double figures with Jaden Akins leading the way with 14. Tre Holloman, getting the start for A. J. Hoggard, notched 10 assists while Tyson Walker scored 13 in the rout. The Spartans held Georgia Southern to 11 points in the first half. The win moved MSU to 4–3 on the season.
Early conference games
Wisconsin