Michigan State basketball is officially back.
Hopes are high for the sixth-ranked Spartans this year, with a big chunk of last season’s core back and a great incoming recruiting class. The Final Four being in Detroit certainly doesn’t hurt.
MSU has to earn its spot, though, and the path starts with Monday’s matchup against Quinnipiac. Here’s how you can watch Game 1 of 32 this regular season:
TV/Streaming Details
Tipoff: Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Streaming: B1G+ | Prices: $12.99/month OR $89.99/year
Announcers: Jacob Maurer (play-by-play); Charlie Schmidgall (analyst); Daphne Bochenek (sideline)
Radio Info – Spartan Media Network
Flagship Stations: Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM)/WJIM (1240 AM); Detroit: WJR (760 AM); Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM) | Other stations around Michigan can be found RIGHT HERE.
SiriusXM: Channels 85 | On the SiriusXM App: Channel 85
Announcers: Will Tieman (play-by-play); Kevin Pauga (analyst); Zach Surdenik (host)
Previewing Quinnipiac
Michigan State probably needs a game to build confidence back after exhibition losses to both UConn and Marquette. Quinnipiac might be a pretty decent opponent at this stage. The Bobcats are a proud low-major foe to put on the schedule, having won MAAC (now the Metro Conference) titles in 2024 and 2025, but they likely just won’t have the talent to hang with MSU for 40 minutes.
KenPom gives the Spartans a 99.6% chance of victory on Monday. EvanMiya gives Michigan State a 99.3% shot at coming out on top. Yes, MSU lost to James Madison in its 2023-24 season opener the last time it had this much preseason hype, but the Dukes began that game with a 4.7% chance of victory on KenPom and eventually went through Wisconsin as a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament. If Quinnipiac were to reach the tourney, it would probably be a 15 or 16 seed.
Quinnipiac has shown that it can hang with high-major teams, though. The Bobcats actually beat Pitt last year and held a 10-point second-half lead at one point during a game at UCF. There was also a game at St. John’s in their season opener last year, but Quinnipiac was blown out, 108-74.
The Bobcats had five players average at least 10 points per game last season, but only one is back. One player ran out of eligibility, and three are playing at more prestigious schools this season. Keith McKnight is that top returning player, having averaged 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a true freshman.
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JACOB COTSONIKA
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
