Tonight the Longhorns (2-0) face their first “real” team of the season in Michigan State (3-0) as they play in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. Both teams advanced to tonight’s game in Madison Square Garden after beating horribly overmatched opponents in four-team home “pod” brackets.

Michigan State struggled in their opener, beating the Ivy League’s Brown Bears 45-34. Their second round game proved much easier, as they coasted to an 86-61 victory over the Youngstown State Penguins. Not even the approaching release of Happy Feet could give YSU a boost against their Big 10 opponents. The Spartans also played The Citadel between rounds of the College Hoops Classic, crushing them 73-41 on Sunday.

Interestingly enough, the Spartans did not only struggle with Brown. In their first exhibition game, Michigan State trailed Grand Valley State for nearly the entire contest, finally taking their first lead of the game with four minutes to play. If not for the great play of guard Drew Neitzel, the Spartans may have been victims of a gargantuan letdown.

This year’s Michigan State team will look incredibly different to college basketball fans familiar with the likes of Mateen Cleeves. Besides the aforementioned Neitzel, the current Spartans roster lacks names that are recognizable outside of East Lansing. While Texas reloaded this year with a great freshman class, Michigan State sports a mix of new, young guys and returning role players who are being asked to step up.

In this space last week, I predicted that Texas would be able to rebound against a much smaller Chicago State team. That did not happen. Tonight they face a much larger squad in MSU, and will most likely get destroyed on the glass. In particular, freshman forward Raymar Morgan and 6-foot, 10-inch center Goran “G” Suton should pose problems for a Texas team that has yet to show good rebounding fundamentals.

Against Sisters of the Poor University and Kentucky Medical Tech Seminary, Texas was able to push the tempo and create transition buckets. It will be interesting to see if they can continue this trend against more able competition. In addition, you should keep your eyes on our young players. Will they be able to handle the spotlight of Madison Square Garden and a nationally televised game in only their third contest at the NCAA level?

For those Longhorns in Austin and across the country, tune in at 8 PM (central) on ESPN2 to catch the game. Or if you’re in the New York area, swing by MSG and catch it live; tickets are still available.