The Michigan State basketball season is already only one month away, can you believe it? Yes our focus is still on the football team but you can’t deny how exciting it is that MSU basketball is already so close to returning.
The Spartans’ schedule has been set for a couple weeks now and I’ve already made all my predictions for how the season will play out, so all there is left to do is wait for the season to begin. And while we wait why not look ahead to the 2025-26 season and the big name opponent that we just found out will be on Michigan State’s schedule next year.
NEWS: North Carolina and Michigan St. have verbally agreed to play each other NEXT Thanksgiving—in 2025—as part of the four-team Fort Myers Tip-Off, sources tell @CBSSports. Mid-major teams are TBD. Game will air in the late afternoon on Fox after the Lions NFL game. Big matchup.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 2, 2024
Matt Norlander with CBS Sports has shared that Michigan State will take on North Carolina next Thanksgiving in Fort Myers.
Matchups don’t get any bigger than this as the Tar Heels and Spartans are two of the greatest college basketball programs of all time. These teams also have a fair amount of history considering they are non-conference opponents.
North Carolina unfortunately holds a 13-4 advantage in this series including an 85-69 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past season. Before that MSU dominated the Tar Heels 63-45 in the PK80 championship game in 2017. Also, who could forget the Tar Heel domination in 2007 in the NCAA Tournament championship game in Detroit?
MSU and UNC could play each other this coming season as well in the Maui Invitational. The teams are on opposite sides of the bracket but there is a chance they could face each other in their third game in Maui this year.
Tom Izzo once again is doing what Tom Izzo always does. It is no surprise that the first opponent for next year is a juggernaut and the Tar Heels likely won’t be the last. Even though we don’t know much about what these teams will look like a year from now, we do know this will be one of the marquee non-conference matchups in the country and I will always sign up for that no matter what.
