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Mens basketball schedule to challenge home record,young team

August 27, 2001

As if losing seven players to graduation and the NBA Draft wasn’t enough.

Now MSU could possibly face its toughest feat in recent history, battling the likes of Florida and Stanford on the road this season.

“This just goes to show that (head) coach (Tom) Izzo is willing to play anyone, anytime, anywhere,” said associate head coach Brian Gregory. “It will help our program get more exposure across the country.”

Florida head coach Billy Donavan will get another shot at the Spartans - the team he lost to in the 2000 national championship game - on Dec. 5 in Gainesville, Fla. And MSU will seek retribution of its own against Arizona on Dec. 15 for its season ending 80-61 pounding in last season’s Final Four.

A much-anticipated battle with Stanford in the Pete Newell Classic is set for Dec. 29 in San Francisco. Newell, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was a former MSU head coach from 1950-54.

The schedule, announced Wednesday, also reunites the program with MSU point guard legend and Lansing native Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who will play on his own all-star team against the Spartans.

MSU will host the Magic Johnson All-Stars, which included several ex-NBA players and former Spartans David Thomas and Mike Chappell throughout the summer - in its first exhibition match-up Nov. 2.

There’s a possibility Thomas and Chappell could both return to East Lansing and play against their former teammates.

Along with possible Preseason NIT games at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the schedule also poses a threat against the school’s record setting 44-game home winning streak - since the Spartans could play up to 17 games at the Breslin Center.

The home winning streak still stands as college basketball’s best, and 17 home games, if played, will set a single season school record.

Despite the absence of a senior class presence, freshman forward Alan Anderson welcomes the opportunity to battle formidable teams at notable venues.

“The schedule is going to be tough every game and we definitely aren’t going to have any breaks,” Anderson said. “It was guys like Andre Hutson, Charlie Bell and Jason Richardson that excelled against top teams, and we’re all going to have to make sure the program keeps making it happen.”

The idea of hosting more games than in years past excites Gregory, but he also knows that it won’t be easy for the young Spartans.

“It’s great to play as much as possible at home since we have a great atmosphere and fans,” Gregory said. “But the road portion of the schedule is probably even tougher. Winning on the road could be one of our biggest challenges this season.”

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