Michigan State Men's Basketball Won't be Playing at Mackey Arena for First Time in Two Seasons

Michigan State men's basketball has had to travel to Mackey Arena in each of its last two seasons.

Purdue Boilermakers forward Mason Gillis (0) passes the ball past Michigan State Spartans forward Malik Hall (25) during the NCAA men s basketball game, Saturday, March 2, 2024, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA

Michigan State men's basketball's toughest matchup within the Big Ten in recent years has been against Purdue, the conference's reigning outright champions.

The Spartans have lost their last five games against the Boilermakers, two of which have been at one of the hardest places to win in all of college basketball as a visiting team, Mackey Arena.

In fact, Michigan State has had to travel to Mackey in each of the last two seasons, the very two seasons Purdue has dominated the Big Ten. One of those matchups was the Spartans' latest game against Purdue, a rather admirable outing for Michigan State, in which it fell 80-74.

The Spartans had a chance to redeem themselves in the Big Ten tournament but ultimately fell short again. Purdue did not win the conference tournament but went on to finish as the runner-up in the NCAA championship game.

Fortunately for Michigan State, it will not have to travel to West Lafayette next season. While Spartans coach Tom Izzo is always up for a challenge, not having to go to a place that has served as your kryptonite in recent years has to be looked at as a major benefit.

Michigan State will also not have to face the task of trying to contain center Zach Edey, who entered his name in the NBA Draft this offseason. Edey has won college basketball's Player of the Year award the last two seasons and was a nightmare for the entire Big Ten to have to guard.

With those two factors now out of the equation, the Spartans should have a great opportunity to break their losing streak against Purdue next season. Their last win over the Boilermakers came in Feb. 2022 at the Breslin Center.

Michigan State will take on Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, UCLA, and USC as part of their conference road games next season. UCLA and USC will be quite unfamiliar territory, as the Spartans have not taken on either team on their home courts in over 20 years.

The Spartans will host Purdue, Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota.

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