Michigan State Men's Basketball series against Tennessee
The Spartans will face the Volunteers in a home-and-home series starting with a trip to Knoxville in 2026 with a matchup in East Lansing to follow in 2027-2028.
Michigan State men's basketball has another non-conference matchup on the calendar for this upcoming season and fans will likely want to keep an eye on this one. The Spartans will head to Knoxville on Nov. 17 to take on Tennessee in the start of a home-and-home series that will see the Volunteers visit East Lansing during the 2027-2028 season with the date to be determined later. As for this season's game at Tennessee, tip and broadcast time will be announced at a later date.
This will be the eighth meeting between Michigan State and Tennessee, with the Spartans leading the head-to-head series, 5-2. MSU is 2-0 at home against the Vols, 2-1 on the road and 1-1 on neutral floors.
As for MSU's visit to Knoxville, it will be the first regular season game there for head coach Tom Izzo, at least in that role that is. The Spartans last visit at Tennessee during the regular season was a 69-60 Spartans win on Dec. 21, 1993. Prior visits before that include an 85-61 loss in the Volunteer Classic on Dec. 18, 1971, and a 35-31 win in the first-ever meeting on Jan. 23, 1939.
The most recent game between the programs came in a charity exhibition game on Oct. 29, 2023, though. Then-No. 9 Tennessee defeated then-No. 4 MSU 89-88. After trailing by as many as 18 points, the Spartans tied the game at 88 before the Vols hit a free throw with 1.9 seconds left to seal the win.
The last official meeting between the two teams came in an Elite Eight matchup during the 2010 NCAA Tournament. MSU bested Tennessee, 70-69, en route to the Final Four.
The matchup also features coaches in Izzo (28) and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes (30), who rank second and first, respectively, among active head coaches in all-time Division I NCAA Tournament appearances. Izzo is tied for fifth all-time in appearances while Barnes is tied for third.
Over the last nine seasons (2017-26), MSU and Tennessee are two of the only 13 programs in Division I with 220-plus victories. The Spartans are tied for No. 12 with 220 wins, while the Volunteers are eighth with 226 victories.
The game at Tennessee joins previously announced matchups against Duke in the Champions Classic on Nov. 10 at the United Center in Chicago and against Arkansas on Thanksgiving Day at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit along with a joint doubleheader against Gonzaga with the Spartan women in California's Coachella Valley on Dec. 19. Read more on the Acrisure Series here. Prior to the regular season, an exhibition matchup at Marquette with a return visit to East Lansing set for 2027-2028 is also on the schedule.
In addition to Marquette, MSU is also expected to play UConn in exhibition play prior to the start of the 2026-2027 regular season. The Spartans will host the Huskies after traveling to Connecticut last year for a preseason contest, which UConn won 76-69. The Huskies also defeated the Spartans in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament by a final score of 67-63.
MSU unveiled its Big Ten opponent home and away pairings in May. Read here to see which conference foes the Spartans will play at home and on the road.
