Michigan State to play Tennessee in charity exhbition game at Breslin Center, Oct. 29

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State basketball fans will get a sneak peak to watch their Spartans a little earlier this season, than expected. The Spartans will play host to Tennessee in a charity exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Breslin Center, the universities announced on Wednesday.

Michigan State and Tennessee played a closed scrimmage in Knoxville last year. This year, they are playing a return scrimmage in East Lansing, but are opening it up to the public. All proceeds from the game will be donated to the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, providing donations to the relief efforts from the Maui wildfires.

“The Maui Invitational and the city of Lahaina have always held a special place in my heart,” Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo said in a statement released by the university, Wednesday morning. “The images we’ve all seen and the stories we’ve heard following the wildfires have touched so many of us in the college basketball world and I know that our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have been affected.”

Michigan State and Tennessee are expected to be preseason Top 10 teams. Michigan State is ranked No. 4 in the ESPN “Way Too Early” Top 25, and Tennessee is ranked No. 8.

“We’ve had plans to scrimmage Rick’s team since last Fall and we spoke about what we could do to help and honor the city of Lahaina and the people there who are in need. I’m hopeful that our Spartan family will pack the Breslin Center for what will be a great game, but will have an even greater mission, and that’s to help the Lahaina community as much as we can.”

Izzo and Tennessee coach Rick Barnes have often sought to play one another in the early stages of the season, dating back to when Barnes was head coach at Texas. The coaches have been known to debrief one another in the days following their games in order to get self-scout information and outsider viewpoints on their teams. That will be the case again for this exhibition, with an eye on helping an area of need.

“First, I appreciate coach Izzo and Michigan State for hosting this game, which will benefit a community that means so much to the world of college basketball,” Barnes said. “While we certainly need to continue to pray for the families in Maui who have been impacted, this benefit game will enable us to offer tangible support toward the restoration of Maui and its beautiful spirit.”

Michigan State has played in the Maui Invitational five times, beginning in 1991 under legendary coach Jud Heathcote when the Spartans won the tournament.

Izzo has coached Spartan teams in Maui in 1995, 2005, 2010 and 2019. 

Michigan State is slated to play in Maui again in 2024.

“Our program at Michigan State has had the opportunity to visit the island five different times and I’ll never forget the feelings I had when we arrived and when I walked on to the floor at the Lahaina Civic Center to start my career,” Izzo said. “It’s one of the most special events in college basketball and it’s because of the people who put it on and the city that embraces and welcomes all of us.”

Further details, including ticket information, game time and broadcast information, will be announced at a later date.

The outcome of the game will not count on either team’s record.

This marks the second time an Izzo-coached Michigan State basketball team will be involved in an exhibition game fund raiser. In 2017, Michigan State played Georgia in a charity exhibition game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Proceeds from that game raised funds for the American Red Cross and hurricane relief efforts in Georgia and the Bahamas.

The game was organized on short notice but drew a sellout crowd of 10,699. In ticket sales alone, that game raised $339,448. Michigan State won the game, 80-68, but the game did not count on either team’s record. 

The Spartans advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Michigan State will return much of its talent this season, led by senior guards Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard and junior guard Jaden Akins. Senior power forward Malik Hall is expected to have an expanded role along with centers Mady Sissoko, Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler, plus the addition of a highly-ranked recruiting class, led by Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears and Xavier Booker.

Tennessee will be led by all-SEC guard Santiago Vescovi and returning starter Josiah-Jordan James. The Vols are adding 6-foot-6 transfer Dalton Knecht, who averaged 20.2 points per game last year at Northern Colorado.