The Michigan State versus Oakland basketball game has become an annual event for both fanbases, and it was recently announced that the Spartans and Golden Grizzlies have renewed the matchup for another six years. Michigan State will travel to Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena on December 14th to play Oakland. This will be the second meeting between the two teams at this venue.
Izzo said this about returning to Detroit in a statement:
“I love our team having a chance to play in Detroit and at a great venue like Little Caesars Arena,” Izzo wrote. “This will be special for Cassius Winston to play in his hometown as a senior and it’s a great opportunity for Spartan alumni in Detroit to come see us play.”
Michigan State and Oakland have now played each other 17 times since 1998 with the Spartans winning every game. Michigan State won their last contest in Little Caesar’s Arena 86-73 in front of a packed house of 20,695 fans.
The two coaches also commented on why this series is important for each team.
Oakland head coach Greg Kampe:
“I am extremely excited for this series to continue. MSU is a gold standard in college basketball.”
And Izzo:
“This has been a great rivalry and I’m glad that we’re going to continue the series. I have a lot of respect for Greg (Kampe) and his program and what he has done at Oakland. We have had a lot of competitive and hard-fought games against them and it’s a game that can bring out the best in both teams.”
