Robyn Fralick unleashes a dangerous backcourt duo to conquer the Big Ten. Discover which matchups define the Spartans' postseason path in this comprehensive season wins projection.
This might be the most anticipated season for Michigan State women’s basketball in quite some time.
Head coach Robyn Fralick has the Spartans improving year after year, and this season, returning star Kennedy Blair finally gets the chance to shine alongside fellow returning star Theryn Hallock. That dynamic duo should give Michigan State one of the most dangerous backcourts in the Big Ten and set the stage for what could be a prolific offense.
Last season, the Spartans started on a historic run, setting a program record for the best start to a season by opening 17-1. However, as impressive as that start was, it set up an even bigger challenge once Big Ten play got underway.
Michigan State finished 6-8 over its final 14 games, lost its opening Big Ten Tournament game and barely squeaked out a win in the NCAA Tournament. Still, the Spartans reached the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.
Now, the hype is even bigger.
So, let's go through the schedule and see how I believe the Spartans will finish.
November
- Nov. 3 — Valparaiso — Home — WIN
- Nov. 7 — Toledo — Away — WIN
- Nov. 11 — Oakland — Home — WIN
- Nov. 15 — Harvard — Away — WIN
- Nov. 19 — Sacred Heart — Home — WIN
- Nov. 23 — Alcorn State — Neutral — WIN
- Nov. 24 — UT Martin/Virginia Tech — Neutral — WIN
- Nov. 29 — Eastern Michigan — Home — WIN
An undefeated month to kick off the season would play right into the Spartans' success early in seasons.
The schedule isn't too daunting, with a couple of neutral-site games mixed in. If the second of those games ends up being against Virginia Tech, it could be a bit more of a challenge, but Michigan State should be good enough to get through its opening stretch without a loss.
November prediction: 8-0
December
- Dec. 3 — Maine — Home — WIN
- Dec. 6 — Penn State — Home — WIN
- Dec. 9 — Milwaukee — Home — WIN
- Dec. 13 — DePaul — Home — WIN
- Dec. 19 — Gonzaga — Neutral — LOSS
- Dec. 29 — Michigan — Away — LOSS
December starts out like any other non-conference month for the Spartans, with Michigan State expected to take care of business against Maine, Penn State, Milwaukee and DePaul.
However, the schedule gets much more difficult toward the end of the month.
The Spartans will head to California for the Acrisure Classic to face Gonzaga, which I have as Michigan State's first loss of the season. They will then return to the Great Lakes State, but instead of heading home, they'll travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan.
I have the Wolverines handing Michigan State its second loss, leaving the Spartans at 12-2 through the first two months of the season.
December prediction: 4-2
January
- Jan. 1 — Iowa — Home — LOSS
- Jan. 7 — Northwestern — Away — WIN
- Jan. 10 — Nebraska — Away — WIN
- Jan. 13 — Oregon — Home — WIN
- Jan. 17 — Illinois — Away — LOSS
- Jan. 20 — Washington — Home — WIN
- Jan. 24 — Indiana — Home — WIN
- Jan. 28 — Rutgers — Away — WIN
Two losses in a month full of Big Ten games would actually make for a very successful January for Fralick's Spartans.
The New Year's Day matchup against Iowa at home should be a fun one to watch, but I have that game becoming Michigan State's third straight loss.
Just in time, the Spartans will look in the mirror and start rallying off wins.
I expect Michigan State to bounce back with wins over Northwestern, Nebraska and Oregon before heading to Illinois for what could be one of the closest games of the month. I believe that matchup will come down to one possession, but I'm giving Illinois the edge because of home-court advantage.
After that, Michigan State should finish the month strong with wins over Washington, Indiana and Rutgers.
January prediction: 6-2
February
- Feb. 1 — Maryland — Away — LOSS
- Feb. 7 — Ohio State — Away — LOSS
- Feb. 11 — Purdue — Home — WIN
- Feb. 14 — Minnesota — Home — WIN
- Feb. 18 — USC — Away — LOSS
- Feb. 21 — UCLA — Away — LOSS
- Feb. 25 — Wisconsin — Home — WIN
- Feb. 28 — Michigan — Home — WIN
For the last full month of the regular season, I have the Spartans' wins and losses pairing up almost perfectly with their home and away schedule.
Three straight road games, including the final game of January and the first two games of February, is a brutal stretch. Unfortunately, I have Michigan State losing both of the first two games of the month against Maryland and Ohio State.
The Spartans will then return home for a pair of wins against Purdue and Minnesota.
After that, they'll fly out to Los Angeles for back-to-back games against USC and UCLA. Both games will be extremely difficult, with UCLA potentially being the toughest matchup of the entire season. USC could potentially result in a win, but I'm giving both games to the Los Angeles schools.
Michigan State will then return home for two big wins against Wisconsin and Michigan. The game against the Wolverines would give the Spartans a chance to get revenge after the December loss in Ann Arbor.
February prediction: 4-4
March
- March 1 — Ohio State — Away — WIN
Michigan State will end the regular season on a high note with a big road win against Ohio State.
That would give the Spartans an overall record of 23-8, including a 12-7 record in Big Ten play.
I have Michigan State finishing fifth in the conference, setting up another trip to the NCAA Tournament and a fourth consecutive appearance.
With Blair and Hallock leading the way, the sky is truly the limit for this Michigan State team.
Final prediction: 23-8 overall, 12-7 Big Ten
