Michigan State opens the 2024-25 season on Nov. 4 at home against Monmouth and faces Niagara later in the week before the Spartans biggest nonconference test. The Spartans will play in one of two marquee matchups (vs. Kansas) in a doubleheader at the State Farm Champions Classic on Nov. 12.
Michigan State started slowly last season with a loss on opening night to James Madison, marking the program’s first November home loss since 1986. The Spartans also lost games in the nonconference portion of the schedule to Duke and Arizona before entering Big Ten play.
While the Spartans schedule doesn’t guarantee multiple marquee matchups against ranked opponents, Tom Izzo’s squad could face the two-time reigning national champions in the Maui Invitational. If UConn and Michigan State win their opening matchup in Maui, they will play each other with a spot in the championship game on the line
Tyson Walker, Malik Hall and A.J. Hoggard — MSU’s top three scorers from last season — are gone, but the program returns veteran guard Jaden Akins. Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears and Coen Carr — three members of Michigan State’s star-studded 2023 recruiting class — are expected to see their respective roles increase.
Here are the top five Michigan State nonconference games to watch this season.
1. vs. Kansas
When: Nov. 12, 2024 Where: Champions Classic at State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
Kansas enters the season as the likely preseason No. 1 ranked team and checked in as Gary Parrish’s top-ranked team in the latest Top 25 and 1. Expectations for Bill Self and company will be as high as ever after a disappointing exit in the NCAA Tournament last spring. After falling to Gonzaga in the…
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