Michigan State basketball might be heading back to Detroit this winter, against a Big 12 power it has yet to beat.
The Spartans and Baylor are working on scheduling a Dec. 16 game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. The Free Press confirmed with a source that the two schools are still working out the contract and details, and there is no timeline for when it might be announced officially.
MSU and Baylor have met only twice, both in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in The Bahamas. The Spartans lost 73-58 on Nov. 24, 2016, in Nassau, and the Bears beat them there again on Nov. 26, 2021, 75-58.
Michigan State Spartans guard Tyson Walker (2) dribbles the ball while defended by Baylor Bears forward Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (23) during the first half Nov. 26, 2021 at Imperial Arena.
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The Spartans have played three times in the regular season at LCA since it opened in 2017, all against Oakland; the most recent came on Dec. 21, 2021, when MSU beat the Golden Grizzlies, 90-78. The arena in downtown Detroit has hosted several college basketball games, including the Horizon League tournament for two years and first- and second-round NCAA tournament games in 2018 (which featured two appearances by the Spartans, as MSU beat Bucknell, then lost to Syracuse). The NCAA tournament is set to return March 29-31, 2024, for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in the Midwest regional.
Baylor lost in the second round of last season’s NCAA tournament to wrap up a 23-11 campaign. MSU advanced to the Sweet 16 and lost to another Big 12 foe, Kansas State, to finish 21-13. It was Tom Izzo’s Division I-record (for a coach at a single school) 25th straight NCAA tournament appearance; it’s also the second-longest active streak behind Kansas’ 33 straight appearances. Coach Scott Drew has led the Bears to four straight NCAA berths, which is tied for the seventh-longest active streak in D-I.
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The Spartans reportedly will open the season at home Nov. 6 against James Madison before facing Duke in the Champions Classic on Nov. 14 in Chicago. MSU also will host Butler in the Gavitt Games on Nov. 17 and play Arizona at 3:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23) in Palm Springs, California.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball-Baylor working on game in Detroit: Report
