Michigan State basketball to play at Tennessee in 2026-27 schedule
Michigan State will meet Tennessee in Knoxville for the first time since 1993, with details pending.
East Lansing — Add another heavy hitter to Michigan State men's basketball's schedule this coming season. Michigan State will play Tennessee in Knoxville during the 2026-27 season, Volunteers coach Rick Barnes told reporters and a Michigan State spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Details of the arrangement are being finalized.
The game will be Michigan State's first appearance at Tennessee with Tom Izzo as head coach. The last came Dec. 21, 1993, with Jud Heathcote as head coach and Izzo as an assistant.
Michigan State won that game 69-60 and owns a 5-2 all-time record against the Volunteers with the last official meeting a 70-69 win in the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Tom Izzo is 6-4 all-time against Rick Barnes, 1-0 since Barnes joined Tennessee and 5-4 when Barnes coached Texas. MSU and Texas faced off seven times in the eight seasons between 2006-07 and 2013-14, and Michigan State won five of those meetings.
The teams played a charity exhibition Oct. 29, 2023, at Breslin Center, that raised money to support victims of the Maui wildfires that summer. Tennessee won that meeting, 89-88.