Dave Dye
FOX Sports Detroit
East Lansing -- With expectations of a third straight Final Four appearance and hopes of a national championship, basketball is back at Michigan State.
The Spartans, ranked No. 2 behind defending champ Duke, play an exhibition game Tuesday night against Saginaw Valley State at the Breslin Center.
The newcomer to watch is Adreian Payne, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound athletically-gifted freshman. Payne, from Dayton, Ohio, was ranked the No. 17 high-school player nationally last season by Scout.com.
"He's somebody that we haven't had here (in recent years) -- a long 6-9-type guy who is right up there with Durrell (Summers) as far as being one of the better athletes on this team," coach Tom Izzo said.
"He can really run and jump, he's capable of shooting 3's. He has a very good left and right hand. I think he writes left-handed and shoots right-handed."
Senior point guard Kalin Lucas will be back after missing the final three games of last season's NCAA Tournament run because of a torn Achilles' in his left foot that required surgery.
Lucas is expected to be joined in the starting backcourt by Summers, with Draymond Green, Delvon Roe and Austin Thornton up front.
Junior Korie Lucious, who was so impressive in taking over after Lucas' injury, won't be available. Lucious is suspended for the first exhibition game and first regular-season game following an off-season arrest for driving while intoxicated. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving.
Garrick Sherman, a sophomore center, also won't play while recovering from a possible concussion.
Tuesday's game begins at 7 p.m. and will be shown on BigTenNetwork.com.
Michigan State plays another exhibition next Monday against Nebraska-Omaha before opening the season Nov. 12 against Eastern Michigan.
Nov. 2, 2010
