to a hamstring issue. Izzo seemed disappointed with the team's first half defensive performance, calling on the lack of effort in defense and rebounding. On November 2, 2016, the Spartans defeated Saginaw Valley State, ranked No. 4 in Division II, 87–77 in their final exhibition game. Miles Bridges again performed well, scoring 20 points with seven rebounds and four blocks. Cassius Winston added 18 points and six assists and Eron Harris had 14 points and nine rebounds. Matt McQuaid added 12 points and Nick Ward had six with three rebounds. Josh Langford did not play again due to his hamstring injury. Izzo was again disappointed with the teams inconsistency, praising their early defense, but disappointed as the Spartans allowed Saginaw Valley State to close the lead. Regular season Non-conference regular season The Spartans faced a difficult non-conference schedule that included travel of over 13,000 miles and playing eight games in 22 days. The Spartans also faced four ranked teams in the non-conference schedule and lost all four games. In their first eight games, they played only two home games. November The Spartans traveled to Hawaii to face No. 10 Arizona on November 11 to open the regular season. The Spartans wore wear special black camo uniforms for the game. The Spartans started well, jumping out to an early 17–2 lead over the Wildcats. Miles Bridges made some spectacular dunks, played 37 minutes and led the Spartans in scoring with 21, but MSU struggled offensively after its good start allowing Arizona to take the lead at the half. However, after the struggles, the Spartans were able to tie the game with seven seconds remaining on a "Tum Tum" Nairn three-pointer. Arizona however took the ball down the court and hit a layup with a little over a second left to win the game 65–63. Izzo was frustrated with his team's play, especially foul troubles and commented that he "played [Bridges] too much". Michigan State struggled with foul trouble as Cassisus Winston, Eron Harris, Joshua Langford, and Nairn each had three. The Spartans traveled to New York to play No. 2 Kentucky in the Champions Classic on November 16. The Spartans started well, leading for portions of the early minutes of the game, but the talented Wildcats soon took over and routed the Spartans 69–48. Bridges struggled immensely in the game, looking like a freshman as he turned the ball over nine