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MSU Hoops Schedules Road Exhibition Game Against Big East Program The Spartans have added another interesting game to their early-season schedule.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play against Louisville during the first half of NCAA Tournament Second Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
| USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectOn Thursday morning,they would be going on the road to Marquette for an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct.
25, at 1 p.m.
ET.
This is the second known exhibition game for MSU on the docket, both being against Big East programs.
Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper defends Marquette Golden Eagles forward Oso Ighodaro in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Columbus, Ohio, March 19, 2023.| USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect MSU and Marquette are actually relatively familiar with one another.
The Spartans hold a 33-23 lead in the overall season series, but those are all during games that count.
Almost all of those games were before Michigan State formally joined the Big Ten in the '20s, '30s, '40s, and '50s, though.era in East Lansing, MSU has won all three matchups against the Golden Eagles on the court.Michigan State beat Marquette 61-49 in 2007 during the first round of March Madness, won a November 2014 matchup 79-68 during the Orlando Classic, and then upset Marquette in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, 69-60.
Michigan State's Tom Izzo shakes the hand of an Ohio State assistant before a game at the Breslin Center on Sunday, Feb.
22, 2026.| Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI MSU's announcement of the exhibition matchup does not indicate whether Marquette will return the favor and come to East Lansing in the future.
It's becoming more common to see two programs agree to home-and-home contracts for exhibition games, but the team's post seems to say this is a road-only deal.
This also continues the shift in college basketball away from playing lower-tier teams in exhibition games.In the past, Michigan State would fill these exhibition slots with home games against Division II schools, such as Grand Valley State, Ferris State, or Hillsdale.
Following COVID and a charity exhibition that MSU had against Tennessee, it seems like there has been a collective realization to schedule actual opponents during these slots.
Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr.
looks on during the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Louisville at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026.| Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI Frankly, it's a bit surprising it took this long for this trend or shift to happen.
This allows Izzo to try out different lineups and tactics against opposing players legitimately good enough to expose any flaws, and the great part is that there is no punishment if it doesn't work.That all-big lineup might look great against a D-II team with nobody taller than 6'8", but how will it look against a fellow high-major school? This game against Marquette also offers Michigan State a chance to experience a road atmosphere pretty quickly.Being able to handle being away from home is the mark of a great squad, especially whenAdd us as a preferred source onPublishedA 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI.
At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.