This offseason has been a whirlwind, and it’s only been a month. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has had to work the transfer portal a little bit, and he ended up with one of his priority targets at center, completing the roster — at least for now.
There’s still a chance that Michigan State adds Carson Cooper back following a five-year eligibility window vote by the NCAA that’s supposed to happen in May but for the most part, the roster is set.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, their 2026-27 schedule is going to be brutal and several opponents got exponentially better, including some top non-conference foes. Teams like Duke, Gonzaga, and now Arkansas have all gotten a lot better this offseason. The latter just added another star to the roster that will make Michigan State’s non-conference battle with John Calipari even tougher.
According to reports, Arkansas landed top-15 overall recruit Miikka Muurinen from Finland. The 6-foot-10 forward is listed in the top 15 on On3, but he’s the No. 55 overall recruit in the 2026 class, per 247Sports. He played professional basketball in Serbia this past season.
NEWS: 2026 Top-15 overall prospect Miikka Muurinen has committed to Arkansas, his agent Teddy Archer told @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 27, 2026
The 6-10 Finnish forward played professionally for Partizan Belgrade this past season.https://t.co/p5sv4nMqOy pic.twitter.com/eMOr6xPK8P
While pro basketball in Serbia is not the same as pro basketball in the United States, Muurinen still faced tough competition and he’s going to be a key player for the Razorbacks next season.
Michigan State fans can’t be too upset about Arkansas loading up before that non-conference battle in the fall, especially since Muurinen was being pursued by Duke, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and UCLA. He could have made Tom Izzo’s life much more difficult if he had gone to a Big Ten program, but fortunately he’s headed to the SEC to play for Calipari.
That matchup on Thanksgiving is going to be a potential Final Four preview.
Michigan State vs. Arkansas is going to be a movie
Two Hall of Fame head coaches, two really good basketball programs, countless five-stars and priority transfers, and one NBA venue in Detroit. Thanksgiving weekend this year is going to be much-anticipated not because everyone loves the holidays, but rather because everyone will want to tune in to a top-10 matchup between Michigan State and Arkansas.
The vibe around this game will be “Final Four preview” and having it at a “neutral” site in Detroit will make for a fun atmosphere downtown.
Michigan State has one of the top five rosters in the country heading into the season and Arkansas may be losing star point guard Darius Acuff to the NBA, but the Razorbacks are bringing in several five-stars and some really good transfers.
Arkansas has the No. 1 composite class in the country for 2026 after landing the Finnish big man, and now they’re going to have a roster worthy of competing for a national title.
That battle in Detroit on Thanksgiving is going to be a hot ticket.
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