UConn and Michigan State are back on the floor together Tuesday night, and even as an exhibition, this one carries a little extra weight. The Spartans and Huskies just saw plenty of each other last season, with UConn knocking off Michigan State 76-69 in the preseason and then taking the bigger one in March, a 67-63 win in the Sweet 16. Now the programs meet again in East Lansing, with UConn No. 4 and Michigan State No. 6 in the preseason AP poll.
The game still won’t count in the regular-season standings, but the setting gives it more bite than most October tune-ups. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern at Breslin Center, where Michigan State will at least get the feel of a home crowd against a top-ranked opponent.
For UConn, though, the biggest question is not the opponent. It’s Braylon Mullins.
Mullins sat out the Huskies’ exhibition opener against Syracuse because of an undisclosed injury, and as of Monday, his availability for Tuesday had not been confirmed. Dan Hurley had not said whether the guard would be able to go.
Michigan State enters with a roster that still has some familiar pieces, returning five of its top eight scorers from last season. Jeremy Fears Jr. is the headliner there, giving the Spartans an experienced backcourt presence as they get another crack at UConn.
For both teams, the real value here is early evaluation. UConn got its first look at a new group against Syracuse, minus Mullins.
Michigan State gets another chance to measure itself against one of the nation’s top teams. And while the result won’t matter in the standings, the lineup choices absolutely might.
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Michigan State Has 3 Big Roster Questions Against UConn
Michigan States preseason tune-up against UConn at the Breslin Center arrives with a few roster questions still worth watching closely, even in an exhibition setting. Freshman center Ethan Taylor, sophomore Cam Ward and freshman two-guard Jasiah Jervis are among the names that could help shape what this team looks like when the 2026-27 season gets going, and each brings a different kind of intrigue as the Spartans continue sorting out roles.
For Tom Izzo and his staff, this game is less about the final score and more about seeing who can handle the moment against a top-tier opponent. Taylors size, Wards next-step development and Jervis perimeter skill give Michigan State a few different paths to explore, and the matchup with UConn should offer an early read on how those pieces fit together before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Kenneth Walker Keeps Making Michigan State Fans Feel What They're Missing
Kenneth Walker III keeps finding familiar comfort against Jim Harbaugh-coached teams, and for Michigan State fans, it is a reminder of just how much electricity he brought to East Lansing. Another 100-yard rushing game against a Harbaugh-led opponent only added to the sense that Walker has a knack for rising to the occasion in those matchups, turning a familiar coaching rivalry into a showcase for what Spartans supporters still remember so well.
It is the kind of performance that naturally sends Michigan State fans back to the same lingering question about what might have been with Walker in green and white for longer. In the meantime, the program keeps pushing forward through a losing streak, with Pat Fitzgerald still working the recruiting trail and hosting top prospects who came away with positive impressions of the program. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Has One Costly Problem It Can't Keep Wasting
Alessio Milivojevic gave Michigan State enough to build around in its loss to Northwestern, even if the afternoon still ended with too many empty possessions. Pat Fitzgerald pointed to the quarterbacks touchdown throws as proof of what the Spartans can unlock, but he also made clear that the missed opportunities were part of the same story, and one that has kept a team already stuck in a losing streak from turning competitive stretches into something more lasting.
Now the focus shifts to UCLA, where the quarterback picture has its own wrinkle after backup Ty Dieffenbach stepped in because of an injury to the starter. Fitzgerald has already offered his read on both passers and the matchup ahead, which gives Michigan State a short turnaround and another chance to clean up the kind of costly problem that has kept slipping through its fingers. [Read more 🡒]