SAN DIEGO — Ahoy!
No. 2 Gonzaga is set to face Michigan State atop the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in San Diego on Friday afternoon in the 2022 Armed Forces Classic. Tipoff is set for 3:30 PM pacific time.
This is the first time Gonzaga has played in the Armed Forces Classic and the second time for Michigan State which previously faced Pittsburgh in the 2015 event at U.S. Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan.
While Gonzaga is a heavy favorite to win on Friday, Michigan State is still a power basketball program with plenty of talent on its roster. Perhaps the biggest weapon the Spartans have on the court is experience, eight players on the roster are upperclassmen.
Game time and How to watch
The 2022 Armed Forces Classic between Gonzaga and Michigan State can be watched on ESPN with tip-off set for 3:30 PM pacific time on Friday.
Here is a look at both teams as they enter this historic matchup.
Gonzaga
Gonzaga returns many key players from its 2021-2022 team. All-American senior forward Drew Timme the biggest name of the bunch. Along with Timme, junior guard Julian Strawther and senior guard Rasir Bolton return after mulling over a leap to the professional level.
Sophomore guard Nolan Hickman is poised to fill the shoes of Andrew Nembhard, who was taken No. 31 by the Indiana Pacers in the 2022 NBA Draft. Chattanooga transfer guard Malachi Smith and LSU Transfer big-man Efton Reid III figure to play big minutes this season along with senior forward Anton Watson.
As expected, Timme will lead the way when it comes to the Zags scoring. As Timme goes, so do the Zags. Smith has proven to be a capable scorer in his short time wearing a GU uniform and Julian Strawther is always a threat.
In Gonzaga's first game of the regular season against North Florida the team proved it can get points in a number of ways. Six players scored in double-figures with Timme leading the charge with 22 in a dominant 104-63 win.
The Bulldogs did struggle in an exhibition game against No. 11 Tennessee in Frisco, Texas losing 99-80. In the loss, The Zags were outscored 49-26 in the second half and shot just 29.2% from three-point range.
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Michigan State
Unlike Gonzaga, Michigan State doesn't tout an All-American on its roster. What the Spartans do have is a mature team ready to prove it can be a threat this season.
MSU is coming off a 2021-2022 season where it made it to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. But, three of that team's top scorers in Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Max Christie are no longer wearing Spartan green.
Junior guard AJ Hoggard, senior guard Tyson Walker and 6'8" senior forward Malik Hall figure to be the team's top scoring threats this season. The backcourt is known to play solid defense and can create turnovers that turn into points.
Michigan State opened the season at home against Northern Arizona where MSU won 73-55. Senior forward Joey Hauser was the standout in the game with a double-double scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
