Michigan State Basketball Schedules 2026-27: Big Ten Slate Puts Spartans to the Test

Michigan State's men's and women's basketball teams face gauntlet-style conference schedules in 2026-27, with February shaping up as the decisive month for both programs. The Big Ten released the men's conference slate Wednesday evening, while the women's schedule was already known, and both feature brutal stretches that will test the Spartans' depth and resilience.

Men's Big Ten schedule builds to a February crescendo

The Spartans' men's conference schedule is a classic crescendo into February, with a punishing stretch from Jan. 30 through Feb. 26 that includes Purdue at home, road games at Illinois (Feb. 5), Michigan (Feb. 13), Iowa (Feb. 16), and Indiana (Feb. 23), and a home finale against Michigan on Feb. 26.

January isn't easy either, with road trips to Nebraska (Jan. 2), UCLA (Jan. 9), USC (Jan. 12), and Ohio State (Jan. 23) before the Purdue game. Coach Tom Izzo's squad will need to be battle-tested early, but the February slate will likely determine where the Spartans finish in the Big Ten standings.

In classic fashion, MSU opens league play in December against projected bottom-half teams: Minnesota at home on Dec. 2 and Maryland on the road Dec. 9. The Big Ten's TV partners want marquee matchups in late January and February, when national attention on college basketball peaks.

MSU fans will appreciate a fair Saturday schedule: four home Saturday games (Oregon, Jan. 16; Purdue, Jan. 30; Nebraska, Feb. 20; Wisconsin, March 6) and one Friday night home game (Michigan, Feb. 26), balanced against four road Saturdays and one Friday away game. Notably, the Spartans have no Sunday games, a scheduling quirk that avoids conflicts with NFL playoff broadcasts.

Non-conference slate features four doozies and two whoppers

The men's non-conference schedule, not yet officially announced but pieced together from school releases, is beyond formidable. It opens with an exhibition against Connecticut on Oct. 20 at home and a road exhibition at Marquette on Oct. 25.

The regular season begins Nov. 2 against Quinnipiac, followed by Toledo on Nov. 5. Then comes the Champions Classic against Duke on Nov. 10 in Chicago, a road game at Tennessee within the next week, Detroit-Mercy on Nov. 21, and a Thanksgiving Day clash with Arkansas at Ford Field on Nov. 27.

After the Big Ten opener against Minnesota, MSU hosts Drake on Dec. 5, reportedly hosts Merrimack on Dec. 12, and faces Gonzaga on Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, where the Spartans played Arizona three years ago. The non-conference slate wraps with Oakland at Breslin Center on Dec. 22 and a Dec. 29 tune-up against Penn.

This schedule lacks a marquee home opponent like last year's Arkansas or Duke visits, but that wasn't for lack of effort. The program tried to set up a home-and-home series with several programs but couldn't finalize a deal.

Izzo considers this roster his most complete in some time, with significant depth at the 2 through 4 positions. The challenging early schedule will help the team figure out its best lineups and rotations in high-leverage situations.

Women's basketball faces a flat-out scary February

The MSU women's team's February schedule is arguably the toughest in the nation. It begins at Maryland (Feb. 1), then Ohio State (Feb. 7), a home game against Minnesota on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), road games at USC (Feb. 18) and UCLA (Feb. 21), and wraps with Michigan at home on Feb. 28.

That's six opponents in eight games that finished last season with NET rankings in the top 23, five in the top 16, and three in the top 10. The Big Ten remains a brutal slog, with about two-thirds of the league's teams NCAA tournament contenders. Defending champion UCLA will be strong, Michigan could be the team to beat, and USC gets JuJu Watkins back.

The women's non-conference home schedule is softer, with Valparaiso (Nov. 3), Oakland (Nov. 11), Sacred Heart (Nov. 19), Eastern Michigan (Nov. 29), Maine (Dec. 3), Milwaukee (Dec. 9), and DePaul (Dec. 13). None of those teams finished last season with a NET ranking higher than Maine at 143.

MSU does open Big Ten play at home against Penn State on Dec. 6, and has solid non-conference tests away from home, including a game at Harvard and potentially Virginia Tech in the Emerald Coast Classic, plus a Dec. 19 matchup with Gonzaga in Palm Desert.

Coach Robyn Fralick acknowledged the scheduling balance challenge in May:

“I think it's tricky. Because we play 18 Big Ten games, and with the expanded (NCAA tournament), we could have up to 13 or 14 NCAA tournament teams within our league. So I think it's a balance.”

The front-loaded soft home schedule isn't ideal for fans, but with that unforgiving February, the Spartans need to build confidence early.

What this means for Iowa basketball fans

For Iowa fans, the Spartans' schedule includes a Feb. 16 men's game at Iowa City, a key Big Ten matchup that could have conference title implications. The Hawkeyes will face a well-tested MSU squad, and the game is part of a brutal road stretch for the Spartans that could define their season.

Both MSU programs are built for deep NCAA tournament runs, but their 2026-27 schedules will test them like never before. The Big Ten's depth means every game matters, and February will separate contenders from pretenders.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 2026-27 men's and women's basketball schedules