Michigan State basketball’s schedule will feature the usual blend of national and regional rivalries before the Spartans jump into Big Ten play in early December.
The Spartans open the college basketball season Nov. 9 against Kansas in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York, one of six marquee games on the docket. They begin Big Ten play Dec. 8 at Minnesota, with rivalry games against Michigan on Jan. 8 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor and Jan. 29 at Breslin Center in East Lansing.
MSU’s one-play matchups in Big Ten play include hosting Nebraska (Jan. 5), Indiana (Feb. 12) and Purdue (Feb. 26). The Spartans also travel to Rutgers (Feb. 5), Iowa (Feb. 22) and Ohio State (March 3) for their only regular-season meetings against those teams.
The school also revealed its 11 non-conference games Wednesday.
After the Champions Classic, MSU travels to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse to play Butler in the Gavitt Games (matching Big Ten and Big East squads) on Nov. 17, Izzo’s first time coaching there. Then MSU heads to the Bahamas from Nov. 24-26 to open the Battle 4 Atlantis former graduate assistant coach Drew Valentine and Loyola (Chicago) in the first of three games. Izzo’s team also faces Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 1 at Breslin.
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MSU will hosts two in-state opponents (Western Michigan on Nov. 12 and Eastern Michigan on Nov. 20) and take on Oakland on Dec. 21 in a neutral-site game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The other non-league games come at home against Toledo on Dec. 4 and High Point on Dec. 29. Former Minnesota coach Tubby Smith now leads High Point, while former Izzo assistant Stan Heath is the new coach at EMU.
The Spartans also play exhibition games against two in-state Division II schools: Ferris State on Oct. 29 and Grand Valley State on Nov. 4.
The Big Ten also revealed the women’s basketball league schedules as well. The Spartans host Michigan on Feb. 10 in East Lansing and visit the Wolverines Feb. 24 in Ann Arbor.
MSU basketball’s 2021-22 schedule
Here is MSU’s full 2021-22 schedule
Oct. 29: Ferris State (exhibition)
Nov. 4: Grand Valley State (exhibition)
Nov. 9: Kansas (Champions Classic, New York)
Nov. 12: Western Michigan
Nov. 17: at Butler (Gavitt Games)
Nov. 20: Eastern Michigan
Nov. 24-26: Battle 4 Atlantis, Nassau, Bahamas
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Dec. 1: Louisville (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
Dec. 4: Toledo
Dec. 8: at Minnesota
Dec. 11: Penn State
Dec. 21: Oakland (at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit)
Dec. 29: High Point
Jan. 2: at Northwestern
Jan. 5: Nebraska
Jan. 8: at Michigan
Jan. 12: Minnesota
Jan. 15: Northwestern
Jan. 21: at Wisconsin
Jan. 25: at Illinois
Jan. 29: Michigan
Feb. 1: at Maryland
Feb. 5: at Rutgers
Feb. 8: Wisconsin
Feb. 12: Indiana
Feb. 15: at Penn State
Feb. 19: Illinois
Feb. 22: at Iowa
Feb. 26: Purdue
March 3: at Ohio State
March 6: Maryland
March 9-13: Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
