Michigan State Basketball: Big Ten home, away slate for 2019-20 released

The Big Ten home and away slate for Michigan State basketball was released on Wednesday afternoon. Just how winnable is it for the Spartans?

It’s never too early to start thinking about next season. Michigan State basketball saw the national title slip from its grasp with a poor performance in the Final Four against Texas Tech, but all the preseason polls have Michigan State right there in the top-two or three.

Heck, many believe the Spartans will be the preseason No. 1 team in the country for what they return along with the incoming recruiting class.

A lot of the success will depend on what kind of draw the Spartans will get in the Big Ten. Sure, the non-conference schedule is important and Michigan State will have Kentucky in the Champions Classic and a tough Maui Invitational field which includes Kansas, Georgia, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Not to mention, the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

But what will Michigan State’s Big Ten slate look like?

While we don’t know the dates, the conference released the home and away matchups for the 2019-20 season.

What stands out here is that the Spartans will get Maryland, Michigan and Wisconsin twice while avoiding road games at Ohio State and Iowa. However, they’ll have a tough road-only slate with Indiana (lost twice to in 2018-19), Purdue (went 1-1 against in 2018-19) and Nebraska.

This is a relatively favorable schedule for the Spartans with plenty of tough road games, but to be the best, you have to win the contests you’re expected to win.

The target on this team’s back next season will be astronomical so don’t expect even the ‘easy’ road games to be walks in the park.