No. 3 Arizona Basketball takes on No. 21 Michigan State on Thanksgiving Day

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 14: Tyson Walker #2 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the Champions Classic at United Center on November 14, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Duke won 74-65. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 14: Tyson Walker #2 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the Champions Classic at United Center on November 14, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Duke won 74-65. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

PALM SPRINGS, CA – In an exciting Thanksgiving Day matchup, No. 3 Arizona Basketball (5-0) takes on No. 21 Michigan State (3-2).

Playing its second Top 25 ranked opponent so far this season, No. 3 Arizona Basketball returns to action on Thanksgiving Day as they take on No. 21 Michigan State as part of the Acrisure Classic.

Traveling to the Coachella Valley Desert, the Wildcats enter Thursday’s action as the slim favorites and should have a tough challenge on their hands as they take on a talented Michigan State team.

Even with the Spartans’ inconsistencies to begin the season, we expect this one to be a fight, and the Wildcats will have to bring the energy and focus for this marquee matchup.

And despite the Wildcats’ slow start against UT Arlington just days ago, Arizona was able to overpower the Mavericks in the second half, en route to a dominant win. So hopefully, the Cats will be a bit more prepared to begin this one!

Getting to Know the details about Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the Michigan State Spartans.

Team: Michigan State Spartans

Conference: Big 10 Conference

Current Record: 3–2

Head Coach: Tom Izzo. The legendary head basketball coach enters his 29th season as head coach of the Spartans where he is currently 3–2 on the year, and hopes to guide Michigan State to another deep tournament run.

Starting his head coaching career in East Lansing, Coach Izzo has put together a miraculous career, amassing 690 career victories with 25 NCAA Tournament apperances, eight Final Fours, one NCAA Championship, and one Runner-up finish.

Overall, Coach Izzo is 690–282 (333–160) as a head coach with the Spartans!

2022 Record: Finishing the 2022-23 season with a 21–13 (11–8) record, the Spartans ended their year with a 4th Place finish in the Big 10 before losing to third-seeded Kansas in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.

So with Arizona Basketball taking on Michigan State here is how you can watch and follow our Wildcats!

Arizona Basketball vs Michigan State Information and Details:

  • Date: Thursday, November 23, 2023
  • Time: 2:00 P.M. MST / 4:00 P.M. EST
  • Television: Fox
  • Location: Acrisure Arena – Palm Springs, CA (10,815)
  • Spread: -3.5 Arizona (Don’t forget to use WynnBet or FanDuel to enhance your overall betting experience)
  • Overall Series Record: 5-2 Arizona. Having met a few times in their collective history, Arizona holds the lead in this head-to-head series. Arizona won four straight from 1946-2001.
  • Last Meeting: Arizona won 65-63 in a thrilling contest in which the Wildcats knocked off the Michigan State Spartans in Honolulu, HI to win the 2016 Armed Forces Classic. Kadeem Allen hit the game-winning layup as time nearly expired.

Arizona Basketball Game Preview:

After throttling Southern, Belmont, and UT Arlington last week, the Wildcats are back in action as the slim favorites over No. 21 Michigan State.

Arizona should have the advantage; however, they are going to need a stronger effort from start to finish as the Spartans are no cakewalk, and we expect this one to be a dogfight!

Hopefully, the Cats look sharp from the tip and are ready to go in this Thanksgiving Day matchup! Tip-off is set for 2:00 P.M. Tucson time!

Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates!

Schedule

Schedule