Michigan and Michigan State basketball to play twice in 2021-22 season

Andrew Hammond and Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read

On Thursday, the Big Ten Conference released the conference opponents for each of the 14 teams for the upcoming season.

The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans will see each other twice during the regular season as they are protected rivals when it comes to scheduling.

The Wolverines and Spartans each face off against Big Ten standout Illinois in home/away contests. Michigan State will play Ohio State once next season; Michigan will see its longtime rival from Columbus twice.

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Michigan coach Juwan Howard, left, shakes hands with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo after the Wolverines' 69-50 win at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, March 4, 2021.
Michigan coach Juwan Howard, left, shakes hands with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo after the Wolverines' 69-50 win at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, March 4, 2021.

Michigan's one-off opponents at home will be Maryland, Minnesota, and Northwestern. On the road, they'll see Indiana, Penn State, and Wisconsin just once. Michigan State will host Indiana, Nebraska, and Purdue at home for single-leg contests and on the road they'll travel to Iowa, Ohio State, and Rutgers. Dates and times for Big Ten conference games have not been released yet.

Both tournament teams this past season, the Wolverines and Spartans will each have to deal with key losses from players headed to the draft, and NCAA's transfer portal. Michigan will have to replace four seniors, along with projected first-round pick Franz Wagner. Michigan State's roster will see plenty of turnover with guard Aaron Henry deciding to go pro, and four transfers.

Before reaching conference play, both teams have important non-conference contests. Michigan State's early season slate will once again lead off with the 2021 Champions Classic where they will face off against Kansas. Their big early-season tournament will be in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis where they'll compete with defending national champion, Baylor, UConn, and Auburn among others. The Michigan Wolverines will head to Vegas for their early season tournament, the Roman Main Event where Wichita State, UNLV, and Arizona are scheduled to participate.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan and Michigan State basketball to play twice in 2021-22 season