Michigan State plays Texas on Dec. 22 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in doubleheader

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State men’s basketball team will face Texas in the fifth-annual Dick’s Sporting Goods Spartan Clash, on Saturday, Dec. 22 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The game between the Spartans and Longhorns will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. and be televised by ESPN2. Tickets for the 2007 Spartan Clash go on sale Friday, Sept. 28 at www.palacenet.com, the Palace’s box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 248-645-6666. Following the MSU-UT game, Oakland and Oregon will meet in the second game of the doubleheader.

The Spartans are 3-1 in Spartan Clash history, having won the last three. Last year, MSU defeated BYU, 76-61, and collected victories over Stanford in 2004 and Wichita State in 2005. Oklahoma defeated Michigan State, 80-77 in overtime, in the first year of the Clash.

Last year, the Spartans defeated the Longhorns, 63-61, in the Coaches Vs. Cancer tournament. Despite losing Kevin Durant, the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, UT returns its next seven top scorers and is ranked No. 18 by ESPN.com’s Andy Katz in his preseason top 25.