Michigan State basketball returns from holiday break to face Cornell on Dec. 29 before an 18-game stretch of Big Ten matchups to close the season.
The Spartans will face non-conference opponent Cornell in a home game at 7 p.m.
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After Cornell, the Spartans will enter the most pivotal stretch of the season as they face Big Ten opponents in every game until the end of the regular season.
Michigan State is 11-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play so far, beating Iowa and Penn State amid a tough non-conference schedule that included Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Arkansas.
The high-level competition continues as The Spartans will face Big Ten opponents who are ranked in the Top-25 including Nebraska, USC, Michigan(twice), Illinois and Purdue.
Here is a full list of Michigan State’s remaining schedule:
- Fri, Jan. 2 @ No. 13 Nebraska
- Mon, Jan. 5 vs. No. 24 USC
- Thu, Jan. 8 vs. Northwestern
- Tue, Jan. 13 vs. Indiana
- Sat, Jan. 17 @ Washington
- Tue, Jan. 20 @ Oregon
- Sat, Jan. 24 vs. Maryland
- Tue, Jan. 27 @ Rutgers
- Fri, Jan. 30 vs. No. 2 Michigan
- Wed, Feb. 4 @ Minnesota
- Sat, Feb. 7 vs. No. 20 Illinois
- Fri, Feb. 13 @ Wisconsin
- Tue, Feb. 17 vs. UCLA
- Sun, Feb. 22 vs. Ohio State
- Thu, Feb. 26 @ No. 5 Purdue
- Sun, Mar. 1 @ Indiana
- Thu, Mar. 5 vs. Rutgers
- Sun, Mar. 8 @ No. 2 Michigan
Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue are the top contenders to win the Big Ten title this season but every Big Ten matchup can be considered tough due to familiarity, physicality and the high-stakes of each game.
The Spartans have displayed the ability to beat tough opponents through their challenging non-conference schedule but with this many Big Ten title contenders, the margin for error is slim.
Michigan State can’t surrender losses to teams they’re supposed to beat like Rutgers, Northwestern and Oregon.
The tough matchups against Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Illinois and USC will show if the Spartans are true contenders.