Michigan State assistant coach Mark Montgomery, right, talks with head coach Tom Izzo during the second half of the game against Rutgers on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Another MSU Hoops Non-Conference Game Revealed

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 5:24 PM ET

Another non-conference matchup on Michigan State basketball's schedule has been revealed.

Detroit Mercy men's basketball announced on Wednesday that it will play the Spartans at the Breslin Center on Friday, Nov. 21.

This game will come just days before Michigan State heads to Florida for the Fort Myers Tip-Off, where it will play East Carolina on Tuesday, No. 25 and North Carolina on Thursday, No. 27, Thanksgiving Day. It will be a long seven-day stretch of basketball for the Green and White.

A series renewed… with a Spartan on our side this time ⚔️#detroitscollegeteam pic.twitter.com/3FZnjgDmJX
— Detroit Mercy Men's Basketball (@DetroitMercyMBB) July 30, 2025

The game will serve as a reunion for Detroit Mercy head coach Mark Montgomery, who was an assistant at Michigan State for two stints (2001 to 2011 and 2021 to 2024). He briefly served as an assistant at Detroit Mercy and spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Northern Illinois in the time between.

Montogomery also was a guard at Michigan State from 1988 to 1992 and was part of the program's 1989-90 Big Ten title.

"I’m thrilled for Monty and very excited for the opportunity he has as the head coach at University of Detroit Mercy,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo had said when Montgomery was hired by Detroit Mercy in April of 2024, per a press release from the program. “Monty returned to Michigan State three years ago and has been an important part of my staff and our recruiting. He is one of the best and brightest coaches I’ve worked with during my career.

"Monty has a great understanding of the game, he’s called our offensive sets and is an incredibly hard worker who is very organized and knows how to run a program. Monty played at Michigan State and has spent a good part of his career with our program and while I’m sad to see him leave, I’m happy for him, his wife Alex and their family. I think this is a great opportunity for Monty to run the program in Detroit and look forward to seeing the success he has there.”

Detroit Mercy has a rising guard who many Spartan fans may know well, Nate Johnson, who showed out at the Moneyball Pro-Am this summer. He enters his sophomore campaign and was a Horizon League All-Freshman Team honoree last season.

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