UConn Men's Basketball Sets Exhibition Double With Elite Foe

The UConn Huskies' men's basketball team will look for a preseason conquering this season and next.

The Huskies announced a preseason home-and-home set with the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday, one that will be staged this season and next. Part one will be staged in Connecticut on Oct. 28 while the return trip to East Lansing will come during the autumn of 2026.

UConn and Michigan State have been two of the most accomplished programs in college basketball since the turn of the century. The two sides have evenly split eight previous meetings in the regular season and postseason, the last being a 64-60 Spartans win in the semifinals of the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis.

Though these matchups won't count toward the regular seasons standings, they'll nonetheless stand as landmarks: UConn and Michigan State haven't faced off on either team's home floor since their original two meetings in 1998 and 2000.

Top-ranked UConn took down MSU 82-68 at Gampel Pavilion in the first at Gampel Pavilion before the Spartans won an 85-66 decision at Breslin Center the season after. Ironically, both sides went on to win a national championship at the ensuing NCAA Tournament.

Since then, the series has been staged at prestigious locales such as Madison Square Garden, Ford Field, and Ramstein Air Base, the latter hosting a 66-62 Huskies win as part of the 2012 Armed Forces Classic. The staple in all eight meetings has been Spartans head coach Tom Izzo, who is set to enter his 31st season at the East Landing helm.

Michigan State finished 30-7 last season and reached the Elite Eight round, landing both plateaus for the first time since 2018-19. With Izzo coming off his fourth Big Ten Coach of the Year title, the Spartans retain Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaxon Kohler, their respective leaders in assists and rebounds.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags