EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo is crossing off annual December traditions.
At the usual urging of Oakland coach and longtime friend Greg Kampe, the two wore identical green Grinch sweaters for their matchup on Tuesday in Detroit. The following night, Izzo shook off the dust on his accordion while his players sang along to Christmas tunes during his radio show.
Now a third of a way through the season and with the holidays approaching, No. 20 Michigan State will host Florida Atlantic on Saturday (2 p.m., FS1) and Izzo has only one wish on his list.
“They’re going to come up here excited, big game for them,” Izzo said of the Owls after practice on Thursday. “What are we going to be? Are we going to be thinking about Santa Claus, Christmas and making sure your girlfriend’s got a good gift or are we going to come here, play basketball and then really get to go and celebrate Christmas. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
It’s an odd time of the year for Michigan State (9-2, 2-0 Big Ten), which had a 10-day break before pulling away for a 77-58 win against Oakland for its fourth straight victory. Players had finals to finish the semester and the Spartans host the Owls on Saturday before spending time with family and not playing against until Western Michigan visits the Breslin Center on Dec. 30.
“We’ve still got team goals,” point guard Jeremy Fears said. “Obviously we want to win the Big Ten and be one of the top teams in the country so right now we really haven’t done anything in our eyes.”
Florida Atlantic (7-5) has a new coach in John Jakus, who was previously an assistant at Baylor and Gonzaga before being hired in March after Dusty May left for Michigan. Four of the five losses for the Owls this season are by six points or fewer and they have won three straight heading to East Lansing.
Strong depth and offensive balance have been keys for Michigan State this season and Florida Atlantic has both too. The Owls have five players averaging double figures in scoring – leading scorer Kaleb Glenn (13.9) comes off the bench – and three more at 8.5 or better. The Spartans are No. 8 in the country in bench points per game (38.6) and FAU is 13th (35.9).
“They have depth, they have size, they can play big or small and they’ve got a number of shooters,” Izzo said of Florida Atlantic. “We’ll have our work cut out for us Saturday.”
The Owls have six players shooting at least 34 percent from 3-point range, including 6-foot-11 forward Baba Miller, who has knocked down 17 of 40 from deep and is averaging 10.9 points per game. He will be a challenge to defend for Jaxon Kohler and Xavier Booker, who are both emerging as go-to threats.
Kohler has been an effective and versatile big man averaging close to a double-double while Booker has scored in double figures four straight games, including a career-high 18 against Oakland. Losing his spot in the starting lineup hasn’t deterred the sophomore and former five-star recruit.
“I like the path he’s on, I like the progress he’s made and I like the approach he’s taking,” Izzo said. “I will always want more sense of urgency, a little more body language, excitement. He clapped three times – I’ve got it on film – when he made one of those 3s. Him and I laughed about it but it’s progress.”