Not to mention, the Spartans have several marquee events on tap in the upcoming season including a trip to Ramstein Air Base in Germany for a Nov. 9 matchup with UConn, a date with Kansas in Atlanta’s Champions Classic and a return to Jenison Fieldhouse for the first time since 1989 to take on Tuskegee on Dec. 15.

“We’ve put together a schedule that combines challenges and unique events, giving us great competition on the court and a lifetime of memories,” Izzo said in a statement.

“For the second straight year, we’ll open the season away from home for the first two games, but the opportunity to play in front of our armed forces in Germany, followed by the prestigious Champions Classic is one that’s only afforded to elite programs. No team will have a more difficult start to its season, but it’s a challenge that we embrace. After all, last year we proved that it can be beneficial regardless of the games’ results.”

MSU starts the season with two exhibitions at Breslin Center — Oct. 30 against Northwood and Nov. 2 against St. Cloud State — before traveling to Germany for the season opener. It marks the second consecutive season the Spartans have opened in an unusual venue, following last season’s opener against North Carolina aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier off the coast of San Diego.

Less than a week after returning from Germany, MSU travels to Atlanta for the Champions Classic against Bill Self’s Jayhawks, who are coming off a recent trip to the Final Four earlier this year.

Other non-conference highlights include Boise State on Nov. 20, Oakland on Nov. 23 and wrap up the month of November against Miami (Fla.) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The team will conclude its non-conference schedule on Dec. 22 against Texas at Breslin Center.

The Spartans then host Tuskegee at Jenison in honor of the 50th anniversary of a 1963 NCAA Tournament game at Jenison in which Mississippi State took on Loyola (Chicago), who was forced to sneak out of the state due to a law prohibiting it from playing racially integrated teams. Prior to the game, the program will host a Spartan alumni game featuring several former MSU hardwood greats.

“For me, and many others, the most vivid memories are the games when Earvin Johnson led the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA Championship,” Athletic Director Mark Hollis said in a statement earlier in August. “But before that, 50 years ago this season, it was the site of a historic NCAA Tournament game between Loyola and Mississippi State. It was called “The Game of Change” and many are unaware that the game was played in East Lansing at Jenison Field House.”

MSU’s first meeting against U-M comes on Feb. 12 and won’t make the trip to Ann Arbor to meet the Wolverines until either March 2 or 3. Izzo and the Spartans close out the regular season with back-to-back home games against Wisconsin on March 7 and Northwestern on March 10.

As it stands, ESPN has the Spartans ranked No. 9 in its preseason rankings, just behind No. 1 Indiana, No. 5 U-M and No. 8 Ohio State. The Spartans are slated to play 21 of its 31 games against teams that appeared in 2012 postseason, according to a release by the MSU athletics department.

“I feel like I say it every year, but the Big Ten keeps getting better and better,” Izzo said in a release.

“This season, I’m especially impressed with the strength at the top of the conference. In recent years, the depth of the overall conference has been strong, and this year is no exception. But when you consider that as many as four teams have appeared in various Top 10 rankings and half the conference is ranked in the Top 25, it’s sure to make for an outstanding winter of Big Ten basketball. Add the fact that we’ll play all the ranked teams twice in conference play, and that more than two-thirds of all our games are against teams that played in the 2012 postseason, and it’s sure to be a season with a lot of tests, and very few chances to relax.”