MSU Men's Basketball finalizes Arkansas matchup, announces exhibition home-and-home series with Marquette

Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo has always had a mantra of “anybody, any place, any time," when it comes to scheduling, and the 2026-2027 schedule for the Spartans is one that is shaping up to be especially challenging.

On Wednesday, Michigan State officially announced that it will play Arkansas at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26) at 4:30 p.m. as part of the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic. The game is expected to begin at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time — following the NFL game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions — and it will broadcast nationally on the CBS Television Network and stream live on Paramount+.

"I love any time we get a chance to play in Detroit and at Little Caesars Arena," Izzo said in a statement. "When you have a chance to play a game that will be a memory-maker for your players and your program, you take advantage of that opportunity. This is the second straight year we'll play a very talented Arkansas team, and it gives me another chance to match up with one of my great friends in college basketball, John Calipari. These are the types of games that will help both teams down the road. To play a team like Arkansas in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, right after the Lions, will make for a great day for sports fans in our state and for college basketball."

The game between the Spartans and Razorbacks, which is widely expected to be a top-15 matchup, was originally mentioned by Izzo in late March, but details are now finalized. Tickets will go on sale starting Oct. 1. There will also be a one-day presale the day prior, however. To register for the presale, fans can sign up at DetroitHoops.com/tickets.

MSU is 3-0 all-time against Arkansas. Calipari and the Razorbacks came to East Lansing, Michigan last season in a top-25 matchup, with the No. 22 Spartans defeating No. 14 Arkansas by a final score of 69-66 on Nov. 8, 2025. Michigan State also won the previous two matchups in 1995 (played in Auburn Hills, Michigan) and 1991 (played at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii), respectively.

Additionally, on Wednesday, MSU announced an exhibition home-and-home series with Marquette. The Spartans will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and play the Golden Eagles at Fiserv Forum on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Broadcast information will be released at a different date.

Marquette will return the favor and come to the Breslin Center to play the Green and White in an exhibition game ahead of the 2027-2028 season, although a date has not yet been announced for the second game of the series.

The Spartans and Golden Eagles have met a total 56 times during the regular season. Michigan State leads the all-time series by a tally of 33-23, including a record of 20-9 at home against Marquette. MSU is 9-14 on the road and 4-0 in neutral-site games versus the Golden Eagles.

The upcoming exhibition matchup in October marks the first meeting between the two programs since Izzo and the Spartans defeated head coach Shaka Smart and the Golden Eagles by a final score of 69-60 on March 19, 2023 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas is far from the only marquee non-conference opponent that Michigan State will play during the 2026-2027 regular season. The Spartans will also play Duke in the Champions Classic in Chicago on Nov. 10. Meanwhile, the men's basketball program is also expected to play on the road at Tennessee and a neutral-site game against Gonzaga in Palm Desert, California, although those two games are not yet finalized as of yet.

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.