Tom Izzo Adds Another Intriguing Test to MSU Schedule

Slowly but surely, the Michigan State Spartans’ 2026-27 schedule is coming together.

The latest addition is a December 12 matchup against Merrimack, with Tom Izzo and the Spartans set to host the Warriors at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

If you read that and thought, “Who cares? It’s just another lower-tier program for the Spartans to tune up against,” then you might not know how Tom Izzo likes to prepare his teams.

Merrimack is no slouch, and neither is its head coach, Joe Gallo.

The Warriors won the MAAC regular-season title last season after posting an impressive 17-3 conference record. Merrimack then advanced to the MAAC Tournament championship game with a chance to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since making the jump to Division I.

However, the No. 3-seeded Siena Saints knocked off No. 1 Merrimack in the championship game, earning the conference’s automatic bid and a first-round matchup against Duke.

Gallo has done nothing but win since taking over at Merrimack. His success has only received more attention since the program made the move to Division I, with Gallo earning MAAC Coach of the Year honors last season.

Izzo understands all of that.

That is likely a big reason why Michigan State agreed to host Merrimack. The Warriors have the ability to give the Spartans a legitimate test, and the matchup could even provide a glimpse of a potential NCAA Tournament opponent if both programs accomplish the goals they have set for themselves.

With Merrimack now on the schedule, Izzo has eight non-conference games lined up that we know of, including two exhibitions against UConn and Marquette.

Last season, the Spartans played 12 non-conference games, including two exhibitions and 10 regular-season games.

That means Michigan State should still be looking to add roughly four more non-conference games to the schedule.

Surely one of those will be the annual Christmas Sweater game against Oakland University, but the other three remain up in the air.

Coen Carr previously alluded to the Spartans still having one more major matchup waiting to be announced, but there has been no official word on that game yet.

For now, though, we know one more piece of the puzzle.

Tom Izzo and Joe Gallo are setting up a December 12 matchup in East Lansing, and if Gallo's Merrimack team is anything like it was last season, the Spartans won't be getting a simple tune-up at the Breslin Center.