UConn Men's Basketball Sets Exhibition Double With Elite Foe

The UConn Huskies and Michigan State Spartans men's basketball teams have announced a two-year, home-and-home preseason series. The first game will be played at UConn in Connecticut on October 28 of this season, with the return game scheduled for East Lansing, Michigan, during the autumn of 2026.

These upcoming matchups are notable because, despite splitting their eight previous regular season and postseason meetings evenly, UConn and Michigan State have not played on either team's home court since their initial two meetings in 1998 and 2000. UConn won the first meeting at Gampel Pavilion (82-68) and Michigan State won the rematch at Breslin Center (85-66) the following season. Both teams coincidentally went on to win the national championship in the NCAA Tournament immediately following those respective home wins. Subsequent meetings occurred at neutral venues like Madison Square Garden, Ford Field, and Ramstein Air Base. Spartans head coach Tom Izzo, entering his 31st season, has coached in all eight prior meetings.

Michigan State is coming off a successful 30-7 season where they reached the Elite Eight, achieving both milestones for the first time since 2018-19. Coach Izzo, recently named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth time, returns key players Jeremy Fears Jr. (assists leader) and Jaxon Kohler (rebounds leader).