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Michigan State, Arkansas schedule home-and-home series; first game this November at Breslin Center

On3 imageby: Jake Lyskawa08/27/25jakelyskawa
Arkansas HC John Calipari and Michigan State HC Tom Izzo.
Arkansas HC John Calipari and Michigan State HC Tom Izzo.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State announced Wednesday that it has scheduled a two-year, home-and-home series against Arkansas. The first game will take place Nov. 8 at the Breslin Center. The Spartans will play the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena next season.

The game in November will mark the first time Michigan State and Arkansas have played since 1995, when the teams met as part of the second annual Great Eight Invitational. The Spartans won that game, 75-72, on Nov. 28 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It was Tom Izzo’s second career victory.

The only other meeting between the Spartans and Razorbacks came on Nov. 27, 1991, when Michigan State beat Arkansas, 86-71, in the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

Izzo and Arkansas head coach John Calipari have met five times before, with Calipari holding a 3-2 edge in the all-time series. Izzo took the most recent meeting, an 86-77 Michigan State win over Kentucky in the 2022 Champions Classic. Calipari went 2-2 against Izzo at Kentucky, and 1-0 against the Spartan coach at Memphis.

Last season, Calipari led Arkansas to a 22-14 (8-10) record in his first year as Razorback head coach. Arkansas fell, 83-80, to Mississippi in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it to the Sweet 16, where they fell, 85-83, to Texas Tech.

Arkansas finished the season ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll. Michigan State finished the year ranked No. 7 after winning the Big Ten and making the Elite Eight.

What else do we know about Michigan State’s 2025-26 schedule?

Michigan State will face Connecticut in a pre-season contest in Storrs on Oct. 28. Dan Hurley’s team will play the return game at the Breslin Center one year later.

Michigan State will meet Kentucky on Nov. 18, as part of the 2025 Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

Three days later, the Spartans will host Detroit Mercy at the Breslin Center. It will mark Izzo’s first time coaching against former assistant Mark Montgomery since 2018.

Michigan State will also play East Carolina and North Carolina at the 2025 Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Spartans and Pirates will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 25, with the game against the Tar Heels coming two days later, on Thanksgiving.

Michigan State is set to host Duke on Dec. 6, the return game of a home-and-home series that began with a Champions Classic matchup at Cameron Indoor Stadium during the 2020-21 season. 

Just over one week later, Michigan State will host Toledo on either Dec. 16 or 17, according to a release from the Rocket program. The Spartans will also play their annual game against Oakland, though a date has yet to be announced.

Michigan State will play Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA and USC at the Breslin Center during the 2025-26 Big Ten season. The Spartans will travel to play Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington and Wisconsin. Izzo’s team will play Indiana, Michigan and Rutgers once at home and once on the road.

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