Then-sophomore guard Foster Loyer (3) drives into the lane during the game against Western Michigan on Dec. 29, 2019, at the Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Broncos, 95-62.
Following a near upset against the Detroit Mercy Titans (0-1) on Friday, the No. 8 Michigan State men's basketball team (4-0) looks to remain undefeated as the Western Michigan Broncos (0-1) travel to East Lansing on Sunday evening.
The Spartans escaped the Titans thanks to the saving graces of sophomore guard Rocket Watts and junior forward Gabe Brown, who both came in clutch in crunch time.
The end result Friday night was anything but expected. The Spartans, who gathered their first win at Cameron Indoor against No. 6 Duke just days prior, had their fans on the edges of their seats as they battled restlessly for the lead.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Breslin Center and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
This will be the Broncos first debut since their season opener on Nov. 25. They were forced to cancel two scheduled matchups, one against Trine University and the other against Notre Dame due to COVID-19 issues.
Sunday's matchup initiates the start of a quick turnaround for the Broncos as they plan to return home to host Adrian College (0-3) on Monday evening. Adrian has also been facing COVID-19 issues and this will be their first game since Nov. 20.
The Broncos were last seen in East Lansing during the 2019-20 campaign, where they fell to the Spartans in a 95-62 sweep. Sunday's meeting will be the third between the two programs since 1998.
This will be the seventh time since 2010 that WMU will square off with a nationally ranked opponent, while unranked themselves.
WMU currently ranks third in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for scoring defense, after giving up a mere four points at Butler and saucing up their first, and only, loss thus far.
They also lead in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage, averaging a .500.
It's worth keeping an eye on their senior guard Rafael Cruz Jr., who finished with 14 points off the bench against Butler, and their junior forward Patrick Emilien, who finished with 11 points.
This is the first season with Head Coach Clayton Bates at the helm of the Broncos.
Last time on MSU hoops
The Spartans' passing game shined in their first two matchups, tallying 53 total assists after their competitions against Eastern Michigan University and Notre Dame.
Since then, however, the movement on offense has become stagnant — this especially showed in the mere nine team assists against the Blue Devils.
Fans can only hope they'll try to bring that fluidity back tonight, as we'll also be seeing another deep showing from the green and white roster.
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