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The No. 10 Michigan State Spartans (10-2) are back in the Breslin Center this afternoon to finish out the non-conference schedule against the High Point Panthers at 3 p.m. The Spartans are down four players right now, but look to finish out the non-conference strong against 6-6 High Point.
While High Point University in High Point, North Carolina may be a school most Spartan fans are unfamiliar with, head coach Tubby Smith will be a familiar sight. Michigan State fans have seen MSU head coach Tom Izzo face off against him many times. As for the Panthers roster, keep an eye on junior guard John-Michael Wright who leads the team with 21.1 points per game, good for ninth in the country.
Redhshirt freshman guard Zach Austin has also been named Big South Freshman of the Week four times while ranking second in scoring on the team with 13.9 points per game and leads the team on the glass with 7.5 rebounds per game.
Series History
- This will mark the first ever meeting between the two programs, but is the 21st meeting between MSU head coach Tom Izzo and High Point head coach Tubby Smith.
- Tom Izzo is 16-4 in head-to-head meetings against Smith in a friendly rivalry that dates back to March 21, 1999 when MSU bested UK 73-66. Another win over Smith also came in the 2005 tournament.
- Smith went 2-4 against Izzo at Kentucky, and 0-14 while the head coach at Minnesota.
- The two head coaches have a combined career win total of 1,290.