Michigan State Basketball: 10 bold predictions for 2020-21 season

The 2020-21 Michigan State basketball season is finally here and the young Spartans could shock some people. Will we see a four-peat?

The wait is finally over. Michigan State fans everywhere are rejoicing because basketball is finally back and the Spartans have one of the best teams in the country yet again.

Michigan State ranks No. 13 to start the season, behind the likes of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, but the Spartans have won three straight Big Ten titles and you can bet that the target on their backs all year will be gigantic. Michigan State is the champ until it’s not the champ anymore.

The Spartans look like a favorite yet again and Tom Izzo has to feel good about the team he’s assembled even after losing Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman.

Basketball is back, and it’s time to get bold.

10. MSU beats Duke but loses to Virginia

I’ve gone against some of my projections from my game-by-game post earlier this week, and this is one of them. I had the Spartans losing to both Duke and Virginia in my original game-by-game predictions but for the sake of being bold, I’m going to say Michigan State beats one.

And it won’t be the team it has had luck with in the past five, or so, years.

Michigan State will record its second win over Duke in three years and give Tom Izzo some juice heading into conference play. This will count as a Champions Classic win.

Eight days later, the Spartans will fall to Tony Bennett and the defending national champion (technically) Virginia Cavaliers. It’ll be a low-scoring game, but I’m sure Michigan State fans would take a win over Duke if it meant a Virginia loss.