Tom Izzo and John Calipari are set for another Thanksgiving showdown, this time with Detroit as the backdrop.
Michigan State will play Arkansas on Thursday, Nov. 26 at Little Caesars Arena in a nonconference matchup, giving the Spartans and Razorbacks a spot in a packed holiday sports slate downtown. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Oct. 1 at www.DetroitHoops.com/tickets.
The game is set for 4:30 p.m., landing between two other major Detroit events: the 100th anniversary of America’s Thanksgiving Parade, which begins at 8:45 a.m. on Woodward Avenue, and the Lions’ 1 p.m. game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Both the Lions-Bears matchup and Michigan State-Arkansas will be televised on CBS.
Izzo said in a statement released Wednesday, July 8, “I love any time we get a chance to play in Detroit and at Little Caesars Arena,” Izzo said in a statement released Wednesday, July 8. “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. …
“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.”
The matchup also marks the second straight season the two Hall of Fame coaches have faced each other. Michigan State beat Arkansas 69-66 on Nov. 8 at Breslin Center in East Lansing, and Izzo and Calipari now stand 3-3 in their six previous meetings.
The teams were originally scheduled to complete a two-game, home-and-home series this fall after it was announced in August 2025, but the arrangement has shifted. Michigan State is now set to travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, during the 2027-28 season.
Michigan State is 3-0 all-time against Arkansas, including a Nov. 28, 1995 win in Izzo’s first season at the Great Eight at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
In Other News...
Jase Richardson Is Reuniting With One Former Spartan Fans Never Forgot
Jase Richardson is about to share a backcourt again with a face Michigan State fans remember well. Richardson and Tre Holloman were key pieces of a Spartan team that won the Big Ten and pushed all the way to the Elite Eight, and now the two former teammates are headed to the same stage again as the Orlando Magic get ready for Summer League.
For Holloman, the reunion adds another layer to a winding path since leaving East Lansing for NC State in search of a bigger role. The move brought only a modest bump in minutes, with his scoring essentially holding steady, but the Magic have still given him another NBA opportunity alongside a former Spartan who knows exactly what he can bring. [Read more 🡒]
Alessio Milivojevic Might Be The Answer Spartans Fans Have Waited For
Midway through the season, Michigan State made a significant quarterback pivot and handed the offense to Alessio Milivojevic, a redshirt sophomore whose arm talent has already given the Spartans something to build around. He has flashed real promise with 10 passing touchdowns and three interceptions, and even behind an inexperienced offensive line, he has shown enough poise under pressure to make the position look stable in a way it has not felt for much of the year.
Milivojevics development now looms as one of the most important storylines in East Lansing, because the Spartans do not just need competent quarterback play, they need a player who can help define what comes next. There is still plenty he has to prove, and the schedule will keep asking questions, but the early signs are enough to make him a central figure in any conversation about Michigan States future and whether a real turnaround can take shape. [Read more 🡒]