Why MSU's Tom Izzo Scheduled a Difficult Non-Conference Schedule
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It's never been a secret that Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo likes to make his non-conference slates difficult. Last year, the Spartans played Kansas in the Champions Classic and participated in the Maui Invitational and faced Colorado, Memphis, and North Carolina in the span of three days.
But this schedule is a little different. MSU has home games against Arkansas and Duke, will play in the Champions Classic versus Kentucky, and will also play UNC again on Thanksgiving. There's also a road exhibition game against UConn, for good measure.
On the Big Games
After Michigan State officially begins the season against Colgate --- a mid-major with five NCAA Tournament appearances in the last seven seasons --- the Spartans will get their first big test against a John Calipari-coached Razorbacks team that made the Sweet 16 last year and will probably be ranked in the preseason AP Poll.
- "He (Calipari) probably looked at the rankings, saw that we were down a little bit in their minds, and then, you know, that's why he did it," Izzo joked after being asked how the Arkansas game came about. "But it was good.
- "The schedule, I must have told some of you (in the media), a lot of you, that my goal is to get more good home games. I think our fans deserve it. I think our players deserve it. I think our media deserves it. I really do, and getting two really good home games, I just think is a plus for the program and for our fans that have been so loyal and so great."
Duke
The other home game that Izzo is referring to, of course, is against Duke, which is set for Dec. 6 on the back end of the non-conference slate and is sandwiched in between two Big Ten games.
One of the other blue bloods in the sports, the Blue Devils have only played in the Breslin Center twice, with their last trip being in December 2019 for the now-defunct Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Duke is entering its fourth year under head coach Jon Scheyer and made the Final Four for the first time with him as the head coach last season.
Other Notable Games on the Schedule
Some other interesting games include a contest against Detroit Mercy, a program that is coached by former Michigan State assistant Mark Montgomery. The Spartans will also continue their annual tradition of facing Oakland and Greg Kampe, with this year's meeting being at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit for a second consecutive year.
- "I think our whole schedule is pretty good," Izzo said. "Oakland's still a great game and we play --- some of those teams we're playing --- we really made an effort to play even a better schedule, even some with our not-so-noted teams."
It'll be a challenge, but it'll be a fun one. The strategy has worked, after all --- it can really only help MSU's case come March for its search for a 28th straight tourney appearance.
- "Their schedule is brutal," Izzo said. "I think that's going to be good for us in the long run. Maybe not in the short run, but I'm looking forward to that."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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