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Tennessee to Play in Charity Game Against Michigan State

On Wednesday, the Tennessee Volunteers announced they will play in a charity exhibition matchup with Michigan State.

On October 29th, the Tennessee Volunteers and the Michigan State Spartans will play in an exhibition match at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The Volunteers have played in East Lansing twice, with both games being losses.

The game is similar to the scrimmage between Kansas and Illinois in that all proceeds from the game will go to the Maui Strong Fund to help support the island from the wildfires happening right now. The fires have been going since the beginning of August and have burned close to 1,300 acres on the island.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes commented on the upcoming scrimmage, saying, "First, I appreciate coach Izzo and Michigan State for hosting this game, which will benefit a community that means so much to the world of college basketball...this benefit game will enable us to offer tangible support toward the restoration of Maui and its beautiful spirit." Both teams have also played in the Maui Invitational, leaving both programs with a connection to the island. The Vols have played in it in 2004, 2011, and 2016. They also will be competing in the invitational this season. As for Michigan State, they have played in the Maui Invitational five times (1991, 1995, 2005, 2010, and 2019). They announced that they will be in the invitational field for 2024.

The Spartans had a really good season last year. They finished 4th in the Big Ten with an overall record of 21-13. Their season ended at the hands of Kansas State in the Sweet 16. ESPN put them 4th in the country in their recent August way-too-early top 25 rankings. Tennessee sits 8th in the country in those rankings. Tip-off time and ticket information for the exhibition game will be released later. 

Tennessee HC Rick Barnes

Tennessee HC Rick Barnes

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