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.
In Other News...
UConn Is Again A Title Contender But One Test Looms Fast
UConn enters the season with the kind of respect that comes from repeated success, landing No. 4 in the AP preseason top 25 behind Florida, Duke and Illinois. Dan Hurleys team kept three starters, added transfers and freshmen, and once again looks built to spend the winter in the title conversation, even as the Big East showed only one other ranked team in St. Johns at No. 13.
The first real measuring stick arrives quickly, and it is a harsh one for a roster still blending returning pieces with newcomers. UConns nonconference slate is loaded with ranked opponents, and the Huskies will not have much time to ease into things before finding out how this version stacks up against the national elite. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Added A New Wrinkle To UConn's Toughest Test
Kansas gave UConn a little more to think about with the addition of Trey Kaufman-Renn, a veteran big man who spent four seasons at Purdue before deciding to return to college basketball. The move comes just before the start of the season, and it gives the Jayhawks another experienced piece as they shape a roster built to handle one of the sports most demanding schedules.
His arrival also fits into a wider NCAA landscape that has gotten murkier, not clearer, as eligibility rules continue to shift. The new five-years-to-play-five-seasons framework has changed how teams and players view roster-building, while disputes over extra eligibility for certain seniors keep adding twists for programs trying to plan ahead. For UConn, it means a matchup that was already going to be a test now carries one more layer of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets An Early Reality Check With Michigan State Coming Up
UConns next tune-up comes with a little more edge than the usual preseason exhibition. The Huskies are set to meet Michigan State in the second half of a home-and-home series, giving them an early test against a program that rarely treats October basketball as anything less than serious business. Tom Izzo is back for his 34th season guiding the Spartans, and Michigan State will bring back familiar pieces in Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr.
For UConn, it is the kind of matchup that can reveal a lot before the games start counting. The timing alone adds some intrigue, and the fact that this one is being carried exclusively on B1G+ means it will be tucked away from the broader college hoops audience rather than played out in the usual national spotlight. There is also some uncertainty around the Huskies lineup heading into it, which only adds to the sense that this exhibition may say a little more than a typical preseason scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]