Michigan State basketball announces season opener

Now that Michigan State basketball is in full swing (or at least feels like it) after their first game in Madrid on Thursday, it’s time to look toward the regular season. Specifically who the Spartans will face this season.

The Spartans' 2024-25 schedule hasn’t been officially released yet, but there are a few games that have already been announced. And we just learned one more game that will be on the schedule, and it’s this season’s home opener.

According to Spartans Illustrated, Michigan State will host Monmouth on Nov. 4 at the Breslin Center. This will be the regular season opener and the first game we get to see Michigan State play that actually counts toward its record.

Monmouth isn’t the greatest team the Spartans will play in their non-conference schedule this year, in fact, they’ll likely be one of the worst. Last season, Monmouth went 18-15, and the year before it only won seven games.

However, Spartan fans know that you can’t overlook any opponent. Just last season, Michigan State shockingly lost to James Madison at home in the season opener. Sure James Madison ended up being a very good team, but there still was no reason MSU should’ve lost to them.

So hopefully this year will be different and Tom Izzo’s squad can start the season off strong. Who knows how much last season’s loss to James Madison impacted the rest of the season, but I think we’d all like to avoid that embarrassment for the second season in a row.

Other known non-conference games for Michigan State this season include the Maui Invitational, Bowling Green, Oakland, and Kansas in the Champions Classic.

Many programs have already released their full non-conference schedule, so it’s likely just a matter of time until we see MSU release theirs as well.