Arkansas and Michigan State will give Thanksgiving Day in Detroit a college hoops punch again this fall, with the two programs set to meet at Little Caesars Arena in a CBS showcase at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The game comes right after the Lions-Bears NFL matchup and continues a recent CBS tradition: for the third straight year, the network will follow its football window with a marquee college basketball game. Paramount+ will also carry the broadcast live.
The matchup brings together two teams that are expected to sit near the top of the preseason rankings after both reached the Sweet 16 in 2026. In Gary Parrish’s most recent Top 25 and 1, Michigan State checks in at No. 5 and Arkansas at No. 11.
This will be only the fourth meeting between the schools, and Michigan State has won all three previous games. That includes a 69-66 victory in East Lansing last season.
“I love any time we get a chance to play in Detroit and at Little Caesars Arena,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “When you have a chance to play a game that will be a memory-maker for your players and your program, you take advantage of that opportunity.
This is the second straight year we'll play a very talented Arkansas team, and it gives me another chance to match up with one of my great friends in college basketball, John Calipari. These are the types of games that will help both teams down the road.
To play a team like Arkansas in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, right after the Lions, will make for a great day for sports fans in our state and for college basketball.”
CBS has already seen what a Thanksgiving Day college basketball window can do. Last year’s Arkansas-Duke game drew 6.81 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular-season college basketball game since 1993. The 2024 Thanksgiving matchup between Arkansas and Illinois averaged 5.1 million viewers.
Arkansas is back in that spotlight for a third straight Thanksgiving, and the Razorbacks are coming off back-to-back losses in the holiday showcase, falling to Illinois and Duke. This time, they enter the 2026-27 season with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.
“We are grateful for the opportunity CBS is affording us by playing on Thanksgiving Day for a third straight year,” Calipari said. “Our program has benefited from playing in this game both on the court and from the national exposure.
Last year, our Thanksgiving Day game on CBS was the most viewed college basketball game of the season, and one of the most-watched regular-season games in over 30 years. I have no doubt us playing Michigan State will match that.
Coach Izzo is a great friend, and I never like competing against friends because someone has to lose. But, this is the type of game our team will need to see where we stand early in the season and to prepare for the SEC season and beyond.”
Michigan State will bring back All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and forward Coen Carr under Izzo, now in his 32nd season. Sophomore forward Cam Ward is also returning after posting a season-high 18 points against Arkansas in last year’s win.
The Spartans’ incoming class is ranked in the top 30 and features four-star prospects Julius Avent, Jasiah Jervis, Carlos Medlock Jr. and Ethan Taylor.
Arkansas, meanwhile, returns starter Billy Richmond and adds transfers Jeremiah Wilkinson from Georgia and Cooper Bowser from Furman. The Razorbacks’ No. 1-ranked recruiting class includes top-30 prospects Jordan Smith Jr. at No.
2, JJ Andrews at No. 12, Abdou Toure at No. 26 and Miika Muurinen at No.
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