Michigan State has added another non-conference game that looks built to challenge Tom Izzo’s group instead of simply padding the win column.
The Spartans will host Merrimack on Dec. 12 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, a December date that fits the kind of test Izzo has long preferred to put in front of his teams. Merrimack may not carry a national brand, but it arrives with real bite under coach Joe Gallo.
That matters because the Warriors have been winning at a high level. Last season, Merrimack claimed the MAAC regular-season title by going 17-3 in league play, then pushed all the way to the MAAC Tournament championship game with a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the program’s move to Division I. Siena spoiled that run, beating the No. 1-seeded Warriors in the title game and taking the conference’s automatic bid.
Gallo’s résumé explains why this matchup is more than a routine scheduling fill-in. He has won everywhere he’s been at Merrimack, and last season’s success earned him MAAC Coach of the Year honors. Izzo knows that kind of profile can turn a seemingly modest game into a real problem.
With Merrimack in the mix, Michigan State now has eight non-conference games on the books, including two exhibitions against UConn and Marquette. The current slate includes:
Oct. 25 - (E) Marquette
Nov. 2 - Quinnipiac
Nov. 17 - at Tennessee
Nov. 26 - (N) Arkansas - Detroit
Dec. 12 - Merrimack
Dec. 19 - (N) Gonzaga - California
Dec. 29 - Penn
Last season, Michigan State played 12 non-conference games, with two exhibitions and 10 regular-season contests. That leaves the Spartans still looking for about four more non-conference games.
One of those figures to be the annual Christmas Sweater game against Oakland University, while the other three are still unannounced. Coen Carr had previously said the Spartans had one more major matchup still to be revealed, though nothing official has come out yet.
For now, the Merrimack addition gives Izzo another opponent that should demand full attention, not a sleepy December warm-up. If the Warriors look anything like they did a year ago, Michigan State will have to earn this one.
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