If you were hoping to snag a seat for Michigan State-Arkansas at Little Caesars Arena on Thanksgiving Day, you may want to brace yourself. The matchup already had the feel of one of the season’s biggest non-conference games, and Arkansas keeps stacking enough talent to make it look even bigger.
The latest boost came when Arkansas head coach John Calipari landed another elite 2027 prospect who is moving up to this year’s roster. Four-star center Caleb Ourigou, who committed to Arkansas’ 2027 class a week ago, reclassified on Tuesday and is now set to join the Razorbacks for the upcoming season. He was a top-30 overall recruit in the 2027 class and is listed at 6-10.
That follows another major addition for Arkansas: the No. 21 overall recruit Davion Thompson, a former Michigan State target and teammate of Carlos Medlock Jr. and Ethan Taylor. With those moves, what was already shaping up as a top-15 type of showdown now looks more like a collision between a top-five Michigan State team and an Arkansas roster surging fast.
The Razorbacks’ projected starting five is loaded enough to make the preseason rankings conversation pretty straightforward. Jeremiah Wilkerson, a Georgia guard who averaged more than 15 points as a freshman and more than 17 as a sophomore, is at point guard.
Jordan Smith Jr., the No. 2 recruit in the country, is at shooting guard. Billy Richardson returns on the wing after a breakout year in which he put up 11.2 points per game.
Miikka Muurinen, a 6-foot-10 Serbian big man and the No. 59 recruit in the 2026 class, is at power forward. Furman transfer Cooper Bowser, who averaged 13.8 points and 5.9 rebounds, anchors the middle.
And that’s before you even get to the bench, which now includes two former top-50 recruits from the 2027 class who have reclassified. On paper, this is a deep, gifted Arkansas group that looks capable of pushing Michigan State hard.
The early read on the matchup was already strong. Now it feels like something closer to a Final Four preview.
In Other News...
Why This Finally Feels Like A Different Michigan State Era
Theres a different feel around East Lansing heading into the upcoming season, and it starts with the way the roster is taking shape on both sides of the ball. Alessio Milivojevic has given Michigan State a steadier presence at quarterback, Cam Edwards arrived as a spring addition who can help reshape the run game, and the mix of returning defenders and portal help has created the kind of balance this program has been chasing.
The bigger question now is whether that foundation can translate into something more than optimism once the games start. With Pat Fitzgerald and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi setting the tone, the Spartans are trying to build a team that can be more competitive right away and maybe even outplay the outside expectations attached to the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]
NCAA Rule Change Could Reshape How Tom Izzo Builds Michigan State
The NCAAs latest eligibility tweak could end up changing the way Michigan State and Tom Izzo think about roster construction for years to come. Under the revised rules, athletes will have five years to play five seasons within a five-year window that begins no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday, a shift that effectively moves college sports further away from the old redshirt model and gives players one more season than before.
The change does not kick in until fall 2027, though some schools can apply it earlier for incoming freshmen and players still covered by the old system in 2025-26. There are also carve-outs for military service, pregnancy and religious missions, but the bigger question for programs like Michigan State is how the new math will affect recruiting and retention, especially as some athletes who already ran out of eligibility keep pushing for another year through the courts. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Have Found The Leader It Needed At Quarterback
Pat Fitzgeralds arrival in East Lansing naturally raised the usual questions about roster stability, especially at quarterback, but Alessio Milivojevic has helped quiet some of that uncertainty. The new starter showed enough promise in 2025 to put himself in position for a bigger role, and he has already begun acting like more than just the next man up as Michigan State settles in under a new staff.
Milivojevic has leaned into the job in a way that matters to a program trying to build momentum, taking on a leadership presence and helping the coaching staff in recruiting efforts. Fitzgerald has noticed the buy-in, and for a team that needed its quarterback room to feel steady rather than fragile, Milivojevics approach may end up being just as important as what he does once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]