USI men's basketball adds another top-10 opponent to 2023-24 schedule
EVANSVILLE — The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team has prided itself on playing big-name programs since it started its transition to Division I. The Screaming Eagles traveled to Missouri and Notre Dame last season and have a road game against Duke in their 2023-24 non-conference schedule.
Add Michigan State to that list.
USI will travel to East Lansing, Michigan, on Nov. 9 to take on the Spartans, who return one of the best teams in the country this season. The Eagles will receive $105,000 for participation in the game, according to a contract the Courier & Press obtained through an open records request.
“It just puts us in the fire early to see if we can build some type of camaraderie with our team,” coach Stan Gouard said in March about scheduling big opponents. “It lets us know where we are pretty early versus waiting until November, December."
USI men's basketball: USI will play one of college basketball's blue bloods in November multi-team event
USI also has a buy game against Saint Louis, bringing its total to three for the upcoming season with a total payout of $320,000. Here's what we know about the Eagles' out-of-conference slate:
Nov. 6 at Saint Louis
Nov. 9 at Michigan State
Nov. 11 vs. Chicago State
Nov. 17 at La Salle
Nov. 20 at Bucknell
Nov. 24 at Duke
Dec. 2 vs. Bowling Green State
Dec. 6 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
TBA at Indiana State
TBA at Southern Illinois
USI is expected to have non-Division-I opponents on its schedule, as well.
Coach Tom Izzo's Michigan State team will enter the season as one of the Big 10's favorites alongside Purdue. Returning guard Tyson Walker averaged over 14 points last season with Malik Hall joining him as an important front-court piece. A.J. Hoggard and Jaden Akins also return after testing the NBA Draft. Plus, Izzo is bringing in the fifth-ranked freshman class in the 247Sports Composite rankings to join a team that made a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
The Spartans are projected to be ranked in the top 10 in the preseason poll.
USI went 16-17 in its inaugural D-I season and was the only transitioning team to play in the postseason, falling to San Jose State in its lone College Basketball Invitational contest. The Eagles finished seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Southern Indiana men's basketball to play Michigan State this season
