Michigan State Spartans Basketball: Northern Michigan Preview, GameThread, and How To Watch

The Basics

Opponent: Northern Michigan

Conference: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), Division II

Time: 7:00 PM EST

Location: The Breslin Center, East Lansing, Michigan

TV: BTN Plus ($)

Radio: Spartan Sports Network

Yes, this game is on BTN Plus, also known as the one way the Big Ten probably hasn't sucked money out of you yet. There's a fee on top of your normal cable subscription to watch, but that's the only way to see it on TV. Please don't comment with any illegal streams. Here's one strategy:

MSU BBall has it's first exhibition game tonight, so this is your yearly reminder not to buy BTN plus and wait 'til tomorrow to watch.

— Pete Rossman (@PeteAtTOC) November 4, 2015

Also Matt will have a kneejerk reactions post up after the game if you're impatient and also don't want to spend several hours watching MSU curb-stomp a D2 school.

Everything You Need to Know about NMU

NMU tweetview: They are not very good. 9-19 last year. Return 5 of 10 contributors. Picked last in GLIAC north. Soph G Perez shot 42% on 3s.

— KJ (@KJfromTheDeck) November 4, 2015

Stuff To Watch

General Defensive Intensity - Izzo seemed concerned about the ability of this MSU team on the defensive end, and playing a preseason game against a D2 school is not a recipe for floor-slapping defense. There's not much to be learned here, but I'll take it as a positive if there's clear intensity from the beginning.

Shooting - For guys like Tum Tum Nairn and Javon Bess (and Matt Costello from three), it'll be interesting to see how much shooting they do from the outset. If they appear comfortable and hit some open shots, that'll add some options to Izzo's playbook.

The New Guys - Freshmen Deyonta Davis, Matt McQuaid, and Kyle Ahrens, plus transfer Eron Harris, will all be fun to see finally put on the green & white at the Breslin. How imposing will Davis be from a physical standpoint from day one? Does Eron Harris get yelled at for shot selection immediately, or later in the season?

Free Throw Shooting - For a significant chunk of last year, free throw shooting doomed MSU to close losses that could've otherwise been wins. Has this been corrected?

Go Green, Go White, Beat Northern!