Michigan State, Arizona men's basketball to meet on Thanksgiving Day
As long as Tom Izzo is the head coach of Michigan State men's basketball, the Spartans will continue to challenge themselves in non-conference play.
MSU is looking to finalize a neutral site game against Arizona on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23) as part of its 2023-24 non-conference slate, Izzo said on Wednesday during a season-ending press conference.
An early-season matchup between the Spartans and Wildcats would be an intriguing one. Arizona is coming off a 28-7 season, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before being upset by Princeton in the first round.
Michigan State, meanwhile, finds itself among the top teams in the country in various 'Way-Too-Early' Top 25 rankings from multiple publications. The Spartans' outlook has only improved this week, after fifth-year seniors Tyson Walker and Malik Hall announced their intention of returning to MSU.
It's being reported that the game between Michigan State and Arizona will be located near Palm Springs, California at the newly-opened Acrisure Arena.
The Spartans made two trips to the West Coast in the non-conference this past season, once to face Gonzaga on an aircraft carrier for the Armed Forces Classic in San Deigo, and another to compete in the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore.
Izzo admitted that his non-conference schedule in 2022-23 was harder on his team than anticipated, due to the travel requirements and lack of days off. Early-season injuries to both Jaden Akins and Malik Hall exasperated those issues as well.
“The problem with last year’s schedule wasn’t the toughness of the teams we played, it was the way it was laid out for me,” Izzo said. “That was the problem. I’d play the same schedule no problem, I’d just like to have a day in between.”
Should the Arizona game be finalized, Michigan State would be up to three confirmed non-conference opponents for its 2023-24 schedule. The Spartans will face Duke in the Champions Classic, and host Oakland in that annual series. The Blue Devils may potentially open the season as the nation's No. 1 team after leading scorer Kyle Filipowski spurned the NBA Draft for a second season in Durham, N.C.
Michigan State gained some schedule flexibility after the Big Ten/ACC challenge ended after last season. The Spartans will still play a Big East team in the Gavitt Games, in what is contractually the final year in that challenge series. Once MSU learns who that opponent will be, it will help the Spartans determine the remainder of their non-conference schedule.
“As we find out who we have and who everyone has, scheduling will take place I think a little bit later than it has in the past,” Izzo said.
Michigan State should benefit from added depth for the 2023-24 season, Izzo currently has 12 scholarship players on the roster. MSU had just 10 scholarship players on the roster this past season.
The Spartans notable departures include starting power forward Joey Hauser, who has exhausted his collegiate eligibility, and sophomore wing Pierre Brooks, who is transferring to Butler.
MSU will add the nation's No. 3 recruiting class in 2023, which includes five-star power forward Xavier Booker, five-star point guard Jeremy Fears, four-star small forward Coen Carr and four-star small forward Gehrig Normand.
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @SpartanNationPodcast
- Follow us on Twitter: @mlounsberry34 | @a3danm
