“The competitive juices are going to go,” Izzo said.
Sunday’s game (3:30 p.m., BTN) marks a rarity for Michigan State: a public exhibition game against a top-10 opponent. Michigan State is ranked No. 4 in the preseason poll, while Tennessee is ranked No. 9.
Michigan State in recent years has played one Division 2 exhibition and one closed scrimmage; it has played Gonzaga and faced Tennessee last year. In those closed scrimmages, Izzo typically makes a point to play younger players extensively and work on things like zone defense and out-of-bounds plays. The final score is important but not the primary concern.![Michigan State hopes to prep for regular season in Tennessee exhibition. And win. - mlive.com](https://www.mlive.com/resizer/pT7-nGEupYUJwj65Lc7oQuKBo6s=/1280x0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/MLB5CK7E7VF35NU7HBAZQKLAX4.JPG)
Sunday’s contest was originally set to be a closed scrimmage, too. But after a wildfire devastated Maui in August, Izzo and Tennessee coach Rick Barnes agreed to change the contest to a public exhibition to raise money for relief efforts on the island, which has hosted the Maui Invitational for decades. Izzo is set to make his fifth trip to that tournament next year, and Tennessee is scheduled to go this year.
“When two coaches have spent eight, nine different trips to Maui, we probably owe them something too, so I’m glad he felt the same way I did,” Izzo said.
Tennessee will provide an early marker for where this Michigan State roster stands heading into the season; the Volunteers bring back several key pieces from a Sweet 16 last year.
Yet they will also be shorthanded on Sunday: guard Santiago Vescovi, the team’s leading returning scorer and a preseason first-team All-SEC player, will miss the game due to a family matter, and starting point guard Zakai Zeigler’s status is uncertain as he recovers from a torn ACL last season.
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