Spartans Release 2016-17 Basketball Schedule

The Michigan State Spartans released their 2016-17 men’s basketball schedule that includes a slate of nine opponents ranked in either the ESPN or CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 polls: Duke (ESPN=1, CBS=1), Kentucky (2, 3), Wisconsin (8, 12), Indiana (11, 10), Arizona (12, 13), Louisville (13, 20), Purdue (14, 18), Maryland (18, NR) and Wichita State (NR, 25).

Izzo commented on Grand Rapids WBBL-FM Huge Show that although he will have a very young but extremely talented team with possibly four freshmen, what worries him the most is the schedule and the travel involved. Once again, Michigan State boasts arguably the nation’s toughest schedule facing possibly four teams ranked in the top 13. The Spartans open against Arizona, traveling to Hawaii November 11th, and then four days later face Kentucky in New York City. Izzo’s team then flies to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis and possibly playing Louisville, followed by a BigTen/ACC Challenge game in Durham, NC versus consensus preseason #1 Duke. The Spartans will end up traveling over 13,000 miles in just their first four weeks of the season.

Michigan State is ranked #10 by ESPN and #8 by CBS in preseason polls.

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