Michigan State basketball to start Joshua Langford vs. Eastern Michigan
EAST LANSING — Nearly nine months after its sudden end, Michigan State basketball is back.
And the 12th-ranked Spartans will have a new look on the court. In a familiar face.
MSU coach Tom Izzo on his pregame radio show he will start Joshua Langford at shooting guard in Wednesday night’s season opener against Eastern Michigan.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Langford will play his first game since Dec. 29, 2018, when he suffered his first of two foot injuries that each required surgery and ended the past two seasons. The fifth-year senior did not play last season.
"He's earned it," Izzo said on his pregame radio show. "It's gonna be difficult, though, to try and get two years back in one night."
The game notes list Foster Loyer starting at point guard along with Langford, Aaron Henry on the Wing, Joey Hauser at small forward and Thomas Kithier at power forward. Rocket Watts is expected to be coming off the bench.
Sophomore Watts started 16 of his 27 games last season at shooting guard with Langford out with a foot injury. He has been expected to replace Cassius Winston running MSU’s offense.
Instead, it appears tri-captain Loyer, a 6-foot junior who averaged 2.9 points and 0.9 assists in a limited role last season, will get the nod. Loyer started one game last season in place of the injured Winston and had 16 points and six assists against Western Michigan on Dec. 29.
Tipoff is 6 p.m. at fan-free Breslin Center, which has cutouts and banners in the Izzone and cutouts in the stands.
Izzo, entering his 26th season, tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 9 and returned to work Monday.
"I'm doing pretty well. It was a no-joke two weeks," Izzo said on his pregame radio show, adding that he has been through two practices and hopes to make it through Wednesday's game. He said it has been "a constant drain, but nothing felt better than to get back to work Monday."
His silver anniversary season ended March 8 with a win over Ohio State that gave the Spartans a share of a third straight regular-season Big Ten title. Four days later, the conference and NCAA tournaments were called off due to the growing pandemic, abruptly ending the college careers of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman.
MSU’s pregame radio show reported the Eagles, who were 16-16 last season, will only have eight players available to face MSU.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball to start Joshua Langford vs. E. Michigan
