Michigan State men's basketball had two more pieces of its non-conference schedule come out today when Georgia Southern and Indiana State published their own programs 2023-2024 schedules and the Spartans appear on both.
The two games bring the total count to 10 non-conference games announced for MSU this upcoming season. The Spartans will be hosting both the Eagles and the Sycamores at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Georgia Southern will make the trip north first for a matchup on Nov. 28 with the visit by Indiana State scheduled for Dec. 30 (the date was originally tentative when announced, but is now set for Dec. 30 following release of the league schedule on Sept. 19). That exact date will be decided once the Big Ten conference schedule is released at a later date.
The Eagles finished the 2022-2023 season 17-16 overall, going 9-9 in the Sun Belt and ended the season with a 67-49 loss in the conference quarterfinal tournament to Louisiana.
It will mark the first time Michigan State and Georgia Southern have played one another. MSU is 2-0 all-time against Sun Belt teams and will open the season against James Madison, also a first ever meeting.
When the Sycamores come to visit the Breslin Center, it will mark just the second time the programs will meet head-to-head. The first matchup between the two remains the most-viewed live broadcast of a college basketball game in history as Magic Johnson and the Spartans defeated Larry Bird and the Sycamores for the 1979 national championship in a 75-64 victory.
Indiana State finished last season with a 23-13 record, going 13-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference and earning a spot in the College Basketball Invitational. The Sycamores fell to No. 1 seed Bradley in the conference semifinals and then to the No. 8 seed Eastern Kentucky in the CBI quarterfinals.
Michigan State's non-conference schedule currently features seven home games along with three neutral site matchups confirmed or reported to date.
Michigan State will begin its season with high expectations following a 23-13 season that ended with a Sweet 16 loss to No. 3 seed Kansas State in the Spartans 25th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
MSU returns several starters from that team and is widely expected to be ranked among the top teams in the country entering the season. That is also thanks to signing the No. 5 class in the country as well.
While the league schedule has not been released, the opponent matchups was earlier this year. MSU will face home-only opponents in Iowa, Ohio State, and Rutgers. The away-only opponents include Indiana, Nebraska, and Purdue.
Meanwhile, both home and away opponents will include Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois, Penn State, and Wisconsin.
