MSU Heads to Tennessee Next Season and the Stakes Could Not Be Higher

The Spartans are planning a trip to Knoxville to take on the Volunteers next season.

March 27, 2026; Washington, D.C.; Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo shouts instructions to his team during a game against UConn in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State basketball is headed to Rocky Top next season.

Last month, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes announced that his Volunteers would be hosting the Spartans in Knoxville at some point next season. Further reporting revealed this was part of a home-and-home deal between the two schools.

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

MSU routinely schedules interesting and difficult non-conference schedules, but this game next season has some additional intrigue around it for a few reasons.

Road SEC Atmosphere

Michigan State's Tom Izzo walks in with his staff against Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State was already supposed to play against an SEC team on the road in 2026-27: it just wasn't supposed to be Tennessee. The Spartans were slated to make the return trip to Arkansas after hosting the Razorbacks in East Lansing last season, but MSU will now play Arkansas this coming Thanksgiving in Detroit, instead (the return trip will likely come during a later season).

Tennessee hasn't hosted Michigan State since December 1993. Tom Izzo's program hasn't played a true road game against an SEC team since the Spartans traveled to Florida in December 2018. Most meetings against the Big Ten's rival conference have been on neutral sites during the regular season or during the NCAA Tournament.

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

It's going to be an intimidating atmosphere when MSU goes to Knoxville. Thompson-Boling Arena seats 21,678 people. That's bigger than Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, and it seats nearly 7,000 more people than the Breslin Center. If you exclude Syracuse's Carrier Dome, which also serves as the football stadium, it's the fourth-biggest college basketball venue out there.

This is going to be a great early-season data point for Izzo and Michigan State on how it handles hostile atmospheres. A true road game was the one thing missing from the Spartans' non-conference schedule last season. Getting a feel for that before playing 10 of them during Big Ten play will be very useful.

Lots of Offense Awaits

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Juke Harris (2) brings the ball up court against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half at Spectrum Center. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Izzo, of course, is always going to preach defense in his program. It's going to get tested in this one. UT's Barnes usually is a defensive-minded coach, too, but the Volunteers have a pretty impressive amount of scoring on the roster right now. Lots of it is coming from the portal.

Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris averaged 21.4 points per game last year. Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames averaged 16.9. Notre Dame transfer Jalen Haralson averaged 16.2 points. Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade averaged 15.6. VCU transfer Terrence Hill averaged 15.0. Loyola-Chicago transfer Miles Rubin averaged 11.3. You get the picture.

Feb 28, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Jalen Haralson (10) drives as NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) defends during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

There is only one basketball to pass around, but there is not going to be a slagger on the Vols' lineup during this game. Especially with the home-court advantage Tennessee will enjoy, it's going to take a heck of a defensive gameplan to go into Knoxville and win.

Torvik currently has the Volunteers' offense at sixth in the country during its preseason projections, also ranking Tennessee 15th overall. Michigan State's defense is projected early at 10th in the country while being ranked sixth overall in the country.