Michigan State and Arkansas Set for High-Stakes Home-and-Home Showdowns in 2025-2027—Who Will Dominate the Hardwood?

The 2025-2026 game will be the sixth all-time meeting between Izzo and Calipari. With a 3-2 record, Calipari holds a slight advantage in head-to-head meetings against Izzo (2-2 at Kentucky and 1-0 at Memphis). The last matchup took place in the 2022 Champions Classic In Indianapolis, with Izzo’s Spartans getting an 86-77 double-overtime victory over Calipari’s Wildcats.

Four years later on Nov. 28, 1995, as part of the Great Eight Tournament played at The Palace in Auburn Hills in Michigan, Michigan State once again defeated a ranked Arkansas team (No. 25), 75-72. This was in Izzo’s first year as MSU’s head coach, and it was his second career victory and just his fourth game coached overall.

Get ready for a showdown that’s been brewing quietly behind the scenes—Michigan State and Arkansas are set to lock horns in a thrilling home-and-home basketball series spanning the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons. Mark your calendar for Saturday, Nov. 8, because the Breslin Center will shake as the Spartans host the Razorbacks for what promises to be an electrifying encounter. The following year, Arkansas will host the rematch in Fayetteville, though that date’s still up in the air. What makes this series truly captivating is the duel between two coaching giants—Tom Izzo and John Calipari—both enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Their rivalry isn’t new; with five previous clashes, these titans always bring intensity and drama to the court. Interestingly, while Michigan State and Arkansas have met just twice before—both times on neutral ground—this upcoming battle in November marks their first-ever meeting on a home court. With both programs riding high from strong recent seasons, fans can expect pulse-pounding action and a fascinating chapter added to college hoops’ storied history. LEARN MORE.

The first meeting between the Spartans and Razorbacks was in the 1991 Maui Classic championship game in Hawaii. Michigan State beat No. 2-ranked Arkansas by a final score of 86-71 on Nov. 27 of that year.

Michigan State and Arkansas have only played two times historically, with the Spartans winning both games on neutral floors. The upcoming game in November will mark the first matchup in which a game between the two programs is played on a home floor.

The matchups will put two Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers up against each other, as Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo faces off against Arkansas’ John Calipari.

Michigan State finished the 2024-2025 campaign with a 30-7 overall record, and a 17-3 record in Big Ten play. The Spartans captured a regular-season conference title for the 11th time under Izzo. MSU advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, but eventually lost to No. 1-overall-seed Auburn, 70-64.

The Spartans will host the Razorbacks at the Breslin Center in East Lansing this coming season, with a date of Saturday, Nov. 8 scheduled for the matchup. Arkansas will return the favor next season by hosting MSU in Fayetteville, but the exact date for the 2026-2027 game has not yet been determined.

On Wednesday, the Michigan State men’s basketball program announced it will host Arkansas for a home-and-home series during the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons.

Arkansas is coming off a 22-14 campaign in 2024-2025, which was Calipari’s first year at the helm for the Razorbacks. Arkansas won two games in the 2025 NCAA Tournament as a No. 10-seed, including victories over No. 7-seeded Kansas and a big upset over No. 2-seeded St. John’s, before falling to No. 3-seeded Texas Tech in overtime in the Sweet 16.