Michigan State is about to head out west after completing a three-game home stand on Tuesday night against Indiana, and that means late tip-off times for Spartan fans.
A week from today, Michigan State will be in Oregon for a 9 p.m. ET tip on a Tuesday night, which isn’t ideal for a lot of fans who have to get up early for work. Before that, however, the Spartans will be in Seattle to face a pesky Washington team.
The Huskies were expected to be one of the more improved teams in the Big Ten this season, and through the first half of the year, they’re 10-6. Obviously that’s not a bad record for a program like Washington with a relatively new coach, but they were hoping for better results early on. With the right primetime environment, the Huskies could pull off an upset.
Michigan State fans know all too well about going to Washington for a night game (the 2022 football game in Seattle) and falling victim to an upset.
Fortunately, this year’s Michigan State vs Washington game at Alaska Airlines Arena will have a much more favorable tip time for the Spartans and their fans.
The tip-off time has been changed thanks to the Seattle Seahawks’ playoff game that night, moving the Michigan State vs Washington game up a couple of hours.
OFFICIAL: Saturday's game at Washington will tip at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT on BTN pic.twitter.com/chsPenzC9M
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) January 13, 2026
That’s right, Michigan State will get a late afternoon (local) tip time in Seattle, hoping that the crowd is a little sleepy and a majority of fans will be focused on the NFL game down the street a couple of hours later.
Michigan State has already found Big Ten road games to be tricky
No matter the opponent, winning on the road in the Big Ten is tricky. The Spartans have already gone to Penn State and Nebraska, and they’ve come away with a four-point win and two-point loss, respectively. Washington isn’t going to be a walk in the park.
Washington is probably a step up from Penn State, and Bryce Jordan was essentially empty when the Spartans went to Happy Valley, and they still nearly lost.
Just because the Michigan State vs Washington game will be a 3 p.m. PT tip with a huge NFL playoff game looming, it’s not going to be easy for Tom Izzo and the Spartans to march into Seattle and take one from the Huskies.