Michigan State basketball vs. Indiana State: What time, TV channel is today's game on? – Detroit Free Press

Once upon a time, Michigan State basketball and Indiana State played for a national title.
That was March 26, 1979, in Salt Lake City, where the Spartans, led by Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser, topped the Sycamores, led by Larry Bird, by 11 points in the NCAA tournament final —a game that’s generally credited as one of the epic matchups that created what we now know as “March Madness.”
Since then? Well, you’re reading this via the Freep, so you probably know that the Spartans, under head coach Jud Heathcote, and then Tom Izzo, went on to become a perennial Final Four contender. The Sycamores, meanwhile, have made just three NCAA tournaments since, losing in the first round in 2000 and the second round in 2001 and 2011.
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But this year might be the year for another NCAA revival; the Sycamores are 11-1, with the one loss coming to Alabama back on Nov. 10. It’s not an especially dignified NCAA resume so far: two conference wins, plus three wins over MAC squads (by two points over Toledo, 23 points over NIU and nine points over Ball State), but hey, you can only beat who’s on the schedule.
And just like that magical 1978-79 season, the Sycamores have a star gaining attention as much for his skills as his, er, appearance. Robbie Avila is no Larry Bird … but he’s a center whose rec specs and loose haircut might make you mistake him for the team manager — if he wasn’t 6 feet 10 and 240 pounds. As a freshman last season, he averaged 10.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.6 assists; this season, he’s at 16.5 points, 6.6 boards and 4.2 assists.
The “College Jokic,” as he has been called this year — referencing the two-time NBA MVP who finally won a title this summer — takes it all in stride as he fuels one of the nation’s top offenses. Indiana State is No. 27 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, with a pair of Quad 2 wins, and No. 59 in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings — the Sycamores have an offense that ranks 34^th and a defense that ranks 101^st. It’s a mix that’s not far from the up-and-down Spartans, who come in at No. 21 according to KenPom — an offense that’s No. 37 and a defense that’s No. 12.
In short, while Magic and Larry Legend aren’t hitting the Breslin Center court today, this could be a matchup as tough for the Spartans as their season opener against James Madison was. Y’know … once upon a time.
Matchup: Spartans (7-5) vs. Indiana State (11-1).
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30.
Time: 2 p.m. ET.
Where: Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Spread: Spartans by 8½.
• Box score
TV channel: FS1.
Stream: FoxSports app and Fubo (free trial).
Radio: WJR-AM (760) (Spartans radio affiliates).
Find Michigan State’s entire 2023-24 schedule.
Contact Ryan Ford atrford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?)@theford.
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