Michigan State basketball hosts Louisville, not Duke, in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Michigan State basketball will get a marquee matchup in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Spartans will host Louisville on Dec. 1 as part of the annual intraconference showcase.
MSU went 15-13 last season, losing its opener of the NCAA tournament to eventual Final Four participant UCLA. The Cardinals went 13-7 and 8-5 in the ACC but did not make the NCAA tournament.
[ Michigan will play at North Carolina on Dec. 1 as part of ACC/Big Ten Challenge ]
The Spartans lost, 82-78 in overtime, at Louisville in the 2018 Challenge. The Cardinals also beat MSU in the 2015 event, 71-67 at Breslin Center in East Lansing.
It was anticipated they might host Duke again this year after the schools' Champions Classic game was moved from Chicago to the Blue Devils' campus. However, that return game appears unlikely to be happening this winter, which Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has said will be his last season.
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Big Ten schools went 7-5 in last year's challenge, though both MSU's game at Virginia and Michigan's home game with North Carolina State were canceled due to COVID-19 within their ACC opponents' programs.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State vs. Louisville in 2021 ACC/Big Ten Challenge
