University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Michigan State
#4 UConn visits #6 Michigan State for Preseason Bout
10/19/2026 1:42:00โฏPM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. โย The No. 4 UConn men's basketball team continues preseason play on Tuesday night when it travels to No. 6 Michigan State. Tip-off from the Breslin Center is set for 7 p.m. and will air exclusively on B1G+ withย Jacob Maurer, Jack Vohwinkle and Lyric Sloan on the call. For non-subscribers there will be a pay-per-view option for a one-time fee of $8.99, accessible atย bigtenplus.com/uconn-vs-msu-ppv.
The Tuesday night tilt is the return game of a home-and-home preseason series that began in Hartford a year ago, a 77-69 victory for the Huskies. The two sides went on to meet again in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, a 67-63 win for Connecticut at the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C.
While the preseason affair will not count towards the all-time series, UConn is 5-4 against Michigan State since the blue bloods first met in 1998. The Huskies took that first meeting on Dec. 5, 1998 before going on to win the program's first national title. UConn made its lone visit to East Lansing the following season and fell on Feb. 5, 2000 to the eventual national champion Spartans. The next six meetings came on neutral floors until the preseason bout a year ago.
The Huskies are coming off a 72-52 win over Syracuse in their preseason opener on Oct. 13 at Mohegan Sun.ย Na'jai Hinesย led the Huskies with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes, whileย Nik Khameniaย scored 12 with eight caroms, three assists and a pair of steals.ย Silas Demary Jr.,ย the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, added 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. Freshmenย Junior Countyย andย Colben Landrewย added nine and eight points, respectively, withย Countyย snaring seven rebounds andย Landrewย a pair of steals.ย
Michigan State opened its preseason on Oct. 2 with an 89-59 victory over Incarnate Word. Preseason All-American Jeremy Fears Jr. posted a 10-point, 13-assist double-double with six steals and Jesse McCulloch scored 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Spartans will open the season ranked No. 6 in AP poll and areย ย projected as a top-10 team by major metrics.
Following the trip to MSU, Connecticut closes its preseason slate in Hartford on Oct. 27 against Purdue.
