UConn at Michigan State Exhibition: How to Watch

Who: UConn Huskies at Michigan State Spartans

What: Exhibition Game

Where: Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan

When: Tuesday, October 20, at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: B1G+

It’s a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 showdown, as the Michigan State Spartans and UConn Huskies will face off in an exhibition game for the second consecutive year.

Last year, the exhibition matchup foreshadowed a Sweet 16 meeting between two of the blue bloods of college basketball. UConn won both games, sending the Spartans home earlier than they wanted.

The Huskies went on to defeat Duke and Illinois to reach the national championship game, where they ultimately fell short as Michigan won the national championship, ending a 25-year drought for the Big Ten.

Now, UConn and Michigan State prepare for another exciting matchup. For Tom Izzo, the focus will be on figuring out his team and seeing how his younger players and newcomers mesh with returning veterans against one of the top programs in the country.

This is the second of three exhibition games for the Spartans, who already notched a win earlier this month against Incarnate Word. That game saw sophomore Jesse McCullough lead the team in scoring. Michigan State will face Marquette in its final exhibition before kicking off the regular season in early November.

I'd expect plenty of mixing and matching when it comes to lineups. Small lineups, big lineups, young lineups and veteran lineups could all get their chances. As Carson Carr and Jeremy Fears alluded to during media days, there really isn't a right or wrong answer when it comes to lineup combinations. The Spartans have so much versatility that players can fill roles ranging from point guard to big man.

Michigan State will be looking to extract some revenge against the Huskies after last year's tournament loss. While the result won't carry the weight of a regular-season game, this matchup offers a valuable opportunity to see how both teams stack up ahead of the season.

I'm not going to give an official prediction for an exhibition game, but if I had to guess, I'd expect a close contest with a final score around 66-62. If Michigan State's four freshmen can show the nation what they're capable of against one of the top teams in the country, there could be some real clamoring for them to earn more playing time once the season tips off.

Make sure to tune in to B1G+ on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET to watch these two college basketball heavyweights face off.