Tennessee basketball officially announced a home-and-home series with Michigan State on Friday morning. The series begins this season when Michigan State travels to Knoxville for a matchup at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The exact tipoff time and broadcast details are not set.
Michigan State will host Tennessee in the back half of the home-and-home series during the 2027-28 season. However, the two teams have not yet decided on a date for the second of the two games.
Rick Barnes shared that Tennessee was scheduling the series with Michigan State during a Big Orange Caravan stop back in May. This year’s game pits two potential top 15 teams against one another and is one of two power five non conference games in Knoxville this season.
It’s the first matchup between Tennessee and Michigan State since the 2010 Elite Eight in St. Louis when Tom Izzo’s Spartans defeated Bruce Pearl’s Vols 70-69 with a spot in the Final Four on the line. Michigan State holds a 5-2 advantage in the series all time.
Tennessee traveled to East Lansing and knocked off Michigan State in a charity exhibition game ahead of the 2023-24 season.
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Expectations are high for Michigan State this coming season with the Spartans returning star point guard Jeremy Fears and electrifying wing Coen Carr. ESPN ranks Michigan State as the No. 9 team nationally in its latest way-too-early top 25 rankings.
The Vols have seven, or potentially eight, non conference games scheduled against power five opponents next season. Tennessee will host Florida State in Knoxville as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. The Vols will also play a true road game against Purdue and a neutral site game against NC State in Nashville.
Tennessee will also play three or four games in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The Vols will face Maryland in their first game and then either Iowa State or San Diego State in their second game in the event. Potential opponents for the third game include St. John’s, Oregon, Louisville and Texas Tech. If Tennessee goes 3-0 then they will play in a championship game.
Expectations are high for Barnes’ 12th Tennessee team. The Vols over went a major roster overhaul this offseason but brought in one of the nation’s very best transfer hauls including highly sought after transfers Juke Harris, Jalen Haralson, Terrence Hill Jr, Tyler Lundblade and others.
