Michigan State overview

In many ways, the Spartans are a mirror image of what the Wildcats have become — trying to recover from heavy losses and other adversity, yet still in the top 15 in part because of a well-regarded freshman class. The Spartans lost their heart and soul from last season, guard Denzel Valentine, along with two other starters and a surprise NBA departee in forward Dayonta Davis. Then forwards Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter went down with preseason knee injuries and one of the team’s three heralded freshman, guard Joshua Langford, missed both exhibition games with a pulled hamstring. But Langford is expected to play off the bench in Friday’s game, giving the Spartans a long, versatile talent who can make plays on the perimeter and defend a wide variety of players. The Spartans will also debut well-regarded freshmen Miles Bridges, Cassius Winston and Nick Ward. Winston, who won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball last season — Kansas’ Josh Jackson and Bridges left the state to play elsewhere — will back up “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr., a sub-6-footer who should be an ideal matchup for Arizona’s Parker Jackson-Cartwright.