Early Notes of MSU's Strenuous Non-Conference Schedule

Michigan State already has a super difficult non-conference schedule lined up.

Last season, the Spartans faced one high-major team in an exhibition and then four other high-majors during games that actually count. That schedule was daunting enough, but next season's lineup might be even more challenging.

UConn (Exhibition)

Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley during the first half of the NCAA national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday, April 6, 2026. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just as MSU's season ended during the Sweet 16 against UConn, the Spartans' first big challenge next season will be against the Huskies. Michigan State took a trip to Connecticut for an exhibition last season, and now it's UConn's turn to come to MSU's place.

The Huskies are coming off their third Final Four appearance in four years, falling to Michigan in the national title game. The top two scorers, Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban, are both out of eligibility, and Solo Ball is going to miss the entire 2026-27 season while recovering from wrist surgery. UConn has added some pieces from the transfer portal, including Duke's Nik Khamenia, but there still seems to be a lot of outgoing production to make up for.

Champions Classic in Chicago vs. Duke

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Michigan State is also set to face Duke for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. The Spartans and the Blue Devils already face each other on a rotating basis every three seasons, but these two historic programs keep meeting in other scheduling agreements and during the NCAA Tournament.

Duke is MSU's annual opponent during the Champions Classic, which is being held at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 10 this coming season. Duke is losing star player Cameron Boozer to the NBA this offseason, but it brings in the No. 1 overall recruiting class in the country. Prized Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell is also going to Durham; he averaged 19.1 points per game last season.

Thanksgiving in Detroit vs. Arkansas

Tom Izzo is making it a new tradition for Michigan State to play on Thanksgiving after the Detroit Lions game. Excluding March Madness, the lead-in from those NFL games that day often creates the best ratings of any college basketball game that season. MSU's game against North Carolina last season averaged 6.5 million viewers, the most-watched college basketball game in the network's history.

One of the surprises here is that Izzo was able to get Arkansas and John Calipari to come up north for a second straight season. The Spartans eked past the Razorbacks last season, 69-66, at the Breslin Center. Michigan State was set to go to Fayetteville for the 2026-27 season in the return game of the home-and-home, but that flight seems to have been postponed.

Rocky Top Tennessee

Rick barne — Tennessee coach Rick Barnes works the sideline against Auburn during their Day 2 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 12, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Instead of playing at Arkansas, the Spartans will travel to Knoxville to face Tennessee next season. This isn't officially official yet, but UT coach Rick Barnes has said it's happening (playing Arkansas on Thanksgiving, and the next item on this list isn't technically official, either.)

The Volunteers should be coming to East Lansing in a later season, too. It's a bit surprising this agreement hasn't happened sooner. Michigan State and Tennessee played a pair of exhibition or "secret scrimmage" games against one another in the past.

Tennessee has also quietly become a pretty underrated program on the national landscape. Barnes hasn't made a Final Four since 2003, but he's gotten the Vols to the Elite Eight in each of the last three seasons.

Barnes' next roster also has a lot of scoring. He just landed Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, who averaged 21.4 points per game last season. Incoming Notre Dame transfer Jalen Haralson also averaged 16.2 points per game. Barnes is known more as a defensive coach (his 14th-ranked defense on KenPom was the worst since 2020). If he gets his current roster to defend, Tennessee can easily become one of the teams to be nationally.

Gonzaga in California

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few reacts during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Kennesaw State Owls at Moda Center. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Michigan State is also going up against Gonzaga for the first time since the two teams faced off on an aircraft carrier early in the 2022-23 season. As far as the NCAA is concerned, MSU and the Bulldogs have the two longest active NCAA Tournament streaks. The Spartans have made it 28 straight times, and the Zags have been there 27 times in a row.

The game seems to be set to be held at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., on Dec. 19. If you need a reminder, Acrisure is the company that Greg Williams, who made that big $401 million donation to MSU athletics, is the CEO of.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to foul call during the second half of NCAA Tournament Second Round against Louisville at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Add us as a preferred source on Google