This game won't count, but it feels like a big, interesting test of where Michigan Statestands a few weeks before the season officially begins.
The Spartans are set to host UConn for a big home exhibition game on Tuesday night. These two teams met twice last year, once in an exhibition in Hartford, Conn., and during the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C. Connecticut won both matchups. Here's how you can watch this one, as well as some notes on what to look for.
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts after a play against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Tip Time:Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Streaming:B1G+ | Prices:12.99/month OR $89.99/year
The AP Poll's release on Monday only made the game feel bigger. The Spartans were at No. 6 in the nation, and UConn was at No. 4. In addition, KenPom has MSU ranked seventh nationally in its preseason rankings and Connecticut at No. 11. EvanMiya has the Huskies at fifth in the nation and the Spartans at 11th.
Results from preseason exhibition games always need to be taken with several grains of salt -- Michigan lost a home exhibition to Cincinnati, a team that missed the tournament, last year -- but it's a great testing ground to see how individual players fare against tougher competition. Largely, it's a chance for Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley to try out some weirder stuff without worrying about the impact it'll have on the final score and the team's record.
Michigan State's Cam Ward looks to score against UConn during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena on Friday, March 27, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI
One thing Izzo could experiment with a lot in this one is the small-ball lineups . He's indicated that Cam Ward (standing at 6'9") will get some minutes at center this season, which opens up a lot of interesting possibilities at positions 1-4 with the large number of guards Michigan State will be playing this year. Ward also missed the Incarnate Word exhibition with a very minor ankle injury, so this will be the first glimpse of Ward in his sophomore season.
Turnovers will be another thing to watch. The Spartans gave it up 18 times against UIW. A number like that isn't really worrying for the team's first live action of the season, but Tuesday night's game will reveal how improved MSU has gotten in that area over 18 days and the type of chemistry it's been able to forge. Michigan State averaged 11.6 turnovers per game last season, which ranked 189th in the country.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as How To Watch MSU Basketball's Blockbuster Exhibition vs. UConn .
