Michigan State’s men’s basketball team now knows its full path for the 2026-27 season, and the calendar starts moving quickly in East Lansing.
The Spartans will begin with an exhibition on Friday, Oct. 2 against the University of Incarnate Word, a game that leads into the annual Izzone Campout. From there, Michigan State has two more exhibition dates lined up before the real thing tips off: a home exhibition against Big East member UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 20, followed by another exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Marquette.
The regular season opens on Monday, Nov. 2, when MSU hosts Quinnipiac, the preseason pick to win the Metro Conference.
Big Ten play arrives a little over a month later. Michigan State opens league action at home on Wednesday, Dec. 2 against Minnesota, then hits the road for its first conference away game on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Maryland.
The Spartans will see Maryland, Michigan and Nebraska both home and away. Other Big Ten teams coming to the Breslin Center are Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Washington and Wisconsin. On the road, Michigan State will visit Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA and USC.
Michigan State is coming off a 2025-26 season that finished at 27-8 overall and 15-5 in Big Ten play. That run earned the Spartans a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Sweet 16, the 17th under head coach Tom Izzo.
Times and television assignments for the 2026-27 season will be announced later.
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Fitzgerald still came away dissatisfied, which is hardly surprising for a coach trying to reset expectations while trying to move the program forward at the same time. He has pointed to the need for continued hard work, the importance of recruiting, and the short window he has to keep building this roster, and games like this are the kind that show both the progress and how much remains unfinished. [Read more 🡒]
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