Tom Izzo is never afraid of putting together a tough schedule and that will again be the case for the Spartans during the 2023-24 season.
Over the past few months there have been schedule updates and reports of Michigan State basketball matchups for the upcoming season. We have yet to receive the official schedule, but at this point in time we are aware of roughly 80 percent of the Spartans’ 2023-24 slate.
There are numerous big-time non-conference battles on the schedule so let’s dive into what we know about the Michigan State basketball schedule thus far for the 2023-24 season:
James Madison
Date: Nov. 6, 2023
Location: Home (Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.)
Status: Reported
Michigan State will reportedly open the season against James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference. The Dukes went 22-11 last season with a conference record of 12-6 — which finished in fourth place in the Sun Belt Conference.
Southern Indiana
Date: Nov. 9, 2023
Location: Home (Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.)
Status: Reported
The Spartans will reportedly host the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles of the Ohio Valley Conference as their second game of the regular season. The Screaming Eagles went 16-17 last year, which included narrow losses to Missouri and Notre Dame.
Duke (Champion's Classic)
Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Location: Neutral (United Center in Chicago)
Status: Official
One of the top early-season games will pit Michigan State against Duke. Both teams are expected to start the year in the top five of the preseason polls, and should be a great test for both the Spartans and Blue Devils.
Butler (Gavitt Games)
Date: Nov. 17, 2023
Location: Home (Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.)
Status: Official
For a second straight year, Michigan State will play host in the Gavitt Games — which pits the Big Ten against the Big East. This year it’ll be the Butler Bulldogs that come to the Breslin Center.
Arizona (Acrisure Classic)
Date: Nov. 23, 2023
Location: Neutral (Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif.)
Status: Official
Michigan State fans will get to enjoy some hoops with their turkey during this big-time Thanksgiving day matchup against Arizona. The Spartans and Wildcats will pay on FOX following the Detroit Lions’ annual Thanksgiving game.
Baylor
Date: Dec. 16, 2023
Location: Neutral (Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.)
Status: Reported
The Spartans and Baylor Bears will play a big-time neutral-court matchup in Michigan State’s backyard. This game has yet to finalized but multiple reports indicate this matchup should occur about a week before Christmas.
Oakland
Date: Dec. 22, 2023
Location: Home (Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.)
Status: Reported
Michigan State and Oakland will reportedly meet again on the hardwood to continue their annual in-state rivalry matchup. The Spartans are a perfect 20-0 all-time against the Grizzlies and should again be heavy favorites to win this non-conference tilt.
Home Big Ten Games
Michigan State will face the following Big Ten teams at home this year:
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Northwestern
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Rutgers
- Wisconsin
The dates of these games have yet to be announced but should be held between December 2023 – March 2024.
Away Big Ten Games
Michigan State will face the following Big Ten teams on the road this year:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Penn State
- Purdue
- Wisconsin
The dates of these games have yet to be announced but should be held between December 2023 – March 2024.
What's Left
Michigan State has filled up six of its 11 non-conference schedule games. So they have five more to add to their 2023-24 slate.
The ACC-Big Ten Challenge is no longer a thing, so don’t be looking for any announcements coming from there. But I do anticipate Izzo adding another solid opponent to the schedule and filling the rest out with mid-major opponents that Michigan State will beat with ease.
The official schedule should be released in the next month or two. But we’ll keep you posted on the latest schedule updates that trickle out in the meantime.
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