MSU Hoops Setting Up Non-Conference Game at Elite Eight Foe

Michigan State basketball won't stop putting on some premier non-conference game.

On Wednesday, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes reportedly said that his Volunteers would be hosting the Spartans in Knoxville for a game during the 2026-27 season. Tennessee's On3 site, VolQuest, has also reported that this is a home-and-home agreement between the two schools, which means that MSU should get a return game at some point.

Tennessee is coming off a nice season. The Vols went 25-12 overall, reaching the Elite Eight as a 6-seed during the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual national champion Michigan. They finished 12th in the AP Poll.

UT has actually made the Elite Eight three straight times, but hasn't been able to break into the Final Four. Barnes' program has made the March Madness field eight straight times.

MSU's History vs. Tennessee

Tom Izzo, Rick Barne — Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks with Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes before the Maui Relief Charity Game on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Assuming this deal goes through, it will end up becoming the Spartans' first trip to Knoxville since December 1993. That was Jud Heathcote's second-to-last season at Michigan State, while Tom Izzo was still the up-and-coming assistant. MSU won that game, 69-60.

These two teams last officially met in 2010 during the NCAA Tournament during the Elite Eight. Raymar Morgan hit a clutch free throw in the final seconds to deliver a 70-69 victory for the Spartans over Tennessee, sending Izzo to his sixth Final Four at the time.

Mar 26, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes during a press conference ahead of the midwest regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images

It's not *really* going to be the first meeting since then, though. The Volunteers took a trip to East Lansing before the 2023-24 season during a charity exhibition. Michigan State went to Knoxville the year before for one of those "secret scrimmages" that have gone mostly extinct now.

Overall, MSU has a 5-2 all-time advantage in the series between these two programs.

Massive Non-Con Schedule for MSU Builds

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shakes the hand of an Ohio State assistant before a game at the Breslin Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State is going to have another absolutely loaded non-conference schedule next season. That was already going to be the case before a road game against an SEC program was added to the docket.

Before the season officially tips off, MSU will host UConn (the national runner-up) for an exhibition at the Breslin Center. Even though it's just an exhibition game, that'll be a lively atmosphere, since the Huskies eliminated Michigan State from the 2026 NCAA Tournament in the Sweet Sixteen.

Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo watches during the first half of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Once the games end up starting, the Spartans will face Duke in Chicago during the Champions Classic, travel to California for a neutral-site game against Gonzaga, and then also face Arkansas in Detroit on Thanksgiving.

Then you just get to Big Ten play, too. It'll be a bit of a diluted number with pending tournament expansion to 76 teams, but it's relatively fair to assume the 18-team conference will end up sending at least 10 teams to the dance every year from now on.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shouts instructions out during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Add us as a preferred source on Google