Michigan State’s 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2026-27

The Michigan State 2026-27 basketball schedule has officially dropped, and it is a doozy.

Tom Izzo held nothing back when it came to scheduling a gauntlet for his team, but that is nothing out of the norm for Izzo. The Spartans consistently play a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare for the bigger task at hand: the Big Ten schedule.

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Last season, the Big Ten placed five teams in the final eight of the NCAA Tournament, two in the Final Four and ultimately produced the national champion in Michigan. The Wolverines defeated UConn 69-63 to win the program’s first national championship since 1989 and the Big Ten’s first title since Michigan State in 2000.

Now, Michigan State enters the 2026-27 season with sky-high expectations, led by Jeremy Fears Jr., who was named the preseason National Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball. Fears is also among the leading preseason candidates for the Big Ten’s top individual honors. He is the first Spartan to earn Blue Ribbon’s preseason National Player of the Year honor since Mateen Cleaves in 2000.

Cleaves went on to lead Michigan State to the 2000 national championship, giving the Spartans their second title in program history.

With a ferocious non-conference schedule followed by a never-ending Big Ten slate, there are plenty of games and storylines to choose from for a top-five list.

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Yet, through blood, sweat and tears, I was able to narrow it down to my five most anticipated games of the 2026-27 season.

No. 5 — Gonzaga

Dec. 19 | Acrisure Arena | Palm Desert, California

A battle between the two programs with the longest active NCAA Tournament streaks is always music to my ears.

Michigan State currently owns the nation’s longest active NCAA Tournament streak at 28 consecutive appearances, while Gonzaga sits right behind the Spartans with 27.

The Spartans and Bulldogs do not face off often, with Gonzaga holding a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series. The most recent meeting came in 2022, when the…

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Publish date : 2026-09-22 20:25:00

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