North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan men's basketball team will host the Michigan State Spartans for a preseason exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 13 in Marquette. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. (ET) in the Superior Dome.

The Superior Dome, which opened in 1991 and was recognized by the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records as the largest free-standing wooden dome globally, has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000 and serves as the home to the Wildcats football team. This event marks the first collegiate basketball action to take place in this venue.

Details regarding ticket sales and broadcast information will be announced later.

This game represents a significant moment for Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo, who will visit his alma mater for the first time to coach a game. Izzo graduated from Northern Michigan in 1977.

"To say I'm excited about the opportunity to bring my Michigan State team to play at Northern Michigan, my alma mater, would be a pretty big understatement," Izzo stated. "This is something we've wanted to try and do for a while, and I think it's going to be a pretty special event. We're excited to bring our team to the UP to play, and it's going to be very cool to play a game in the Superior Dome, one of the really great venues in college athletics. I think this will mean a great deal to people, not only in East Lansing but especially for the great people in Marquette and the Upper Peninsula."

Izzo emphasized creating memorable experiences for his players: "I've always said that I want my players to have moments that are memory-makers for them... I know they're excited about going to play at a place that is really special for me, and I think this is going to be a memory-maker for all of us."

Izzo has previously coached against his alma mater six times in preseason exhibition games, most recently on Oct. 30, 2018—a match where MSU secured a 93-47 victory at Breslin Center.

Historically, Northern Michigan and Michigan State have faced each other eight times during regular season play with MSU leading the series 7-1. The last encounters were back-to-back games held on Dec. 16, 1975 at Jenison Field House where MSU won 81-65 with Izzo contributing significantly during both matches.