Every year around this time, Tom Izzo finds himself reflecting on a decision he often questions. The holiday season is about giving, and for Izzo and Michigan State basketball, that means providing Greg Kampe and Oakland with numerous opportunities to face off over the past 25-plus years. Back in 1998, the Spartans opened the O’Rena during their first meeting, and since then, they have ventured to Auburn Hills, Detroit, and welcomed the Golden Grizzlies to campus almost annually. As of now, MSU holds a remarkable 22-0 record against its sister school.

Respect and Scheduling

When Izzo second-guesses his scheduling of Oakland, it's a mix of humor and a realization that someday, the Grizzlies will break through and achieve their long-awaited win over the Spartans. "As we all know, whether they've been really good – which they have some – or not as good, the game has always been a very difficult game. So there's much respect there," Izzo said after practice on Friday. "I don't know why I keep doing it. I keep saying that, but I do enjoy going to Detroit to play. I do enjoy (Kampe) a lot, and I do respect their program."

Upcoming Game

No. 19 MSU (8-2, 2-0 Big Ten) and Oakland (3-5, 1-1 Horizon League) are set to meet Tuesday night for the 23rd time. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena (ESPN2). This is part of a three-game holiday break for the Spartans, who will host Florida Atlantic on Dec. 21 and Western Michigan on Dec. 30 before resuming Big Ten play on Jan. 3 at Ohio State. Neither team has played in 10 days, since MSU's 37-point home blowout win over Nebraska and Oakland's 16-point road loss at Youngstown State on Dec. 7.

Last Season's Encounter

The Spartans beat the Golden Grizzlies at Breslin Center last season, 79-62, on Dec. 18, 2023. That was two days after MSU, 10 games into its 20-15 season, got back to.500 at Little Caesars Arena with a 22-point, nationally televised blowout of then-No. 6 Baylor. Senior guard Jaden Akins, who leads MSU with 13 points per game, feels that the team is in a better position this year compared to last. "I feel like we're in a better position this year than last year around this time," he said. "I feel like last year, everybody was a little down and just trying to find ourselves. And right now, I feel like the team has good energy, and we're really well-connected right now. So we just trying to not get too comfortable and keep improving."

Izzo's Record at LCA

Izzo is 5-1 at LCA since it opened in 2017, with the lone loss being a second-round 2017 NCAA tournament defeat to Syracuse. Three of those wins have come over the Golden Grizzlies, who are considered the home team in these games. With Izzo making his NCAA tournament record 26th straight appearance and advancing to the second round again, it was Oakland that stole the March spotlight. Oakland knocked off No. 3 seed Kentucky in Pittsburgh and nearly advanced to the program's first Sweet 16 before falling to 11-seed North Carolina State in overtime two days later.

Player Statistics

Missouri-Kansas City transfer forward Allen Mukeba leads Oakland at 13.6 points with 5.6 rebounds, while forward Buru Naivalurua averages 12.6 points and 7.6 boards. Guard DQ Cole adds 11.1 points per game. Izzo now has one of Kampe's players from last year's team, Blake Lampman from nearby Haslett, on his staff this fall as a graduate assistant. He plans to pick the former guard's brain about how to solve his old coach's chaos-inspired zone defense that Izzo said he has had a hard time figuring out – and joked if his good buddy Kampe even knows what should be happening. "I would say the zone that they play the majority of the game, it's like an extended zone," said Akins, who scored 11 points last year against the Grizzlies. "So you got to be strong with the ball and look to attack when you get the ball to the middle."

Prediction

MSU 87, Oakland 68: The Spartans' perimeter defense continues to keep the Grizzlies' outside shooters from finding a rhythm. Oakland enters making just 25.3% from deep, but MSU improves on its 27.2% 3-point numbers by continuing to get Akins, Tre Holloman, and others open looks with the crisp ball movement of the entire 10-player rotation. This leads to the game being put away midway through the second half.Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.Next up: Golden GrizzliesMatchup: No. 19 Michigan State (8-2) vs. Oklahoma (3-5).Tipoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.TV/radio: ESPN2; WJR-AM (760).