Date Revealed for Michigan State-Arkansas Basketball Game

Michigan State men's basketball officially announced the date for its home matchup against Arkansas on Wednesday afternoon. The Spartans will host the Razorbacks on Nov. 8.

Arkansas head coach John Calipari first revealed that the two teams would be facing off in the Breslin Center back in June.

Another one 👀 pic.twitter.com/zgp9V4zM64
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) August 27, 2025

Tom Izzo had said in his recent appearance on CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein's show, "Inside College Basketball Now," that Calipari had called him and proposed the matchup, which is going to be a home-and-home series. MSU hasn't revealed its full non-conference schedule yet, but it is known that the Spartans will also face Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina on top of this game against Arkansas.

All-Time Series Notes

Mar 27, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari directs a play downcourt during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Overall, the meeting in the Breslin Center will be just the third time ever that the Spartans and Razorbacks have met and the first time that the two teams will face off in East Lansing.

MSU leads the all-time series, 2-0. The last meeting was in The Palace of Auburn Hills back in November 1995, which was Izzo's fourth-ever game as Michigan State's head coach and his second-ever win.

Nov. 27, 1991 - Michigan State 86, No. 2 Arkansas 71 (1991 Maui Classic)

Nov. 28, 1995 - Michigan State 75, No. 25 Arkansas 72 (Great Eight Tournament)

Tom Izzo vs. John Calipari

This will certainly not be the first time that these two coaches have faced off. When MSU takes the court to play Arkansas, it'll be the sixth time the two legendary head coaches will go up against one another. The coaches have over 1,500 wins, two national championships, and 14 Final Fours (two for Calipari have been vacated) combined in their careers.

In the previous five meetings, four of which happened while Calipari was at Kentucky, the now-Arkansas head coach has the slight edge, 3-2.

Izzo and Calipari first met up when Calipari was at Memphis in the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. MSU was the 5 seed, Memphis was the 1 seed, and the seeds aligned during a Tigers 92-72 victory.

Mady Sissok — Nov 15, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Lance Ware (55) fights for the ball during the second extra time against the Michigan State Spartans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Spartans defeat the Wildcats 86 to 77. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Calipari was at Kentucky for each of the four matchups since, all of which were a part of the Champions Classic, or the "Tournament of Champions," as Izzo likes to call it.

MSU won the most recent meeting between Izzo and Calipari, winning in double overtime with a final score of 86-77 back in November 2022.

Izzo's other win over "Coach Cal" was back in the 2013 Champions Classic in a 78-74 game against the Wildcats. Kentucky was ranked No. 1 in that game and Michigan State was No. 2.

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