The 1995–96 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Tom Izzo in his first year as head coach after 11 years as an assistant coach. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 16–16, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Washington before losing to Fresno State in the second round.
The season marked the last time, as of 2023, that Michigan State did not finish the season with a winning record.
Previous season The Spartans finished the 1994–95 season with a record of 22–6, 14–4 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. Michigan State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Southeast region where they lost to Weber State in the first round.
Roster and statistics 1995–96 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball teamNameClassPosHeightSummaryDamion BeatheaSRF6'7"5.9 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 1.0 AstQuinton BrooksSRF6'7"16.3 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 0.6 AstJamie FeickSRC6'9"10.1 Pts, 9.5 Reb, 2.3 AstJon GaravagliaJRF6'9"5.1 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 1.1 AstDavid HartSRG6'4"0.0 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.5 AstThomas KelleySOG6'2"5.1 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 3.6 AstJason KleinFRG6'7"2.1 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.3 AstAnthony MullJRG6'4"2.8 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.3 AstSteve NicodemusSRG6'4"0.7 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.1 AstMorris PetersonFRF6'7"0.5 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.5 AstSteve PolonowskiJRF6'9"0.5 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.1 AstMike RespertJRG5'11"2.4 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.8 AstAntonio SmithFRF6'8"4.3 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.4 AstRay WeathersJRG6'3" 9.7 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style=| Non-conference regular season
!colspan=9 style=|Big Ten regular season
!colspan=9 style=|NIT
References