Tom Izzo is bringing Michigan State Basketball to his alma mater for the first time in his 30 years as head coach.
Izzo’s Spartans will head to the Upper Peninsula on Oct. 13 to face Northern Michigan in Marquette in a Sunday preseason exhibition at 1 p.m., the schools announced Thursday.
Izzo graduated in 1977 from Northern Michigan and grew up 90 minutes south of campus in Iron Mountain, on the Michigan-Wisconsin border.
“To say I am excited about the opportunity to bring my Michigan State team to play at Northern Michigan, my alma mater, would be a huge understatement,” Izzo said in a statement. “This is something we have wanted to try and do for a while and I think it will be a very special event. We are excited to bring our team to play at UP, and it will be great to play a game at the Superior Dome, one of the best venues in college athletics. I think this will mean a lot to people, not just in East Lansing, but especially to the great people of Marquette and the Upper Peninsula.”
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The game will take place in NMU’s Superior Dome, recognized as the largest free-standing wooden dome in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. This will be the first college basketball action in the Dome, home to the 8,000-capacity Wildcats football team.
“I’ve always said I want my players to have moments that stick with them, from playing on an aircraft carrier or in the Champions Classic to having a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Izzo said. I know they are excited to play in a place that is really special to me, and I think this will be a milestone for all of us.”
Izzo has coached against his alma mater six times in exhibitions, the last on Oct. 30, 2018, a 93-47 win at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
MSU leads NMU in the all-time regular-season series, 7-1, but the teams haven’t faced each other since 1974 and ’75, when Izzo started at guard for the Wildcats. MSU won in 1975 at Jenison Field House, 81-65, as Izzo had nine points, two assists and a rebound, block and steal in 32 minutes. The last time the Spartans visited northern Michigan in 1974a 91-59 MSU victory, with Izzo dishing out six assists.
MSU is about to travel to Spain for a 10-day trip with at least three scrimmages scheduled.
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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State will play Northern Michigan alma mater Tom Izzo
