MARQUETTE, Michigan (WPBN/WGTU) – Former Northern Michigan Guard Tom Izzo is bring the Spartans to his alma mater later this year.

The Spartans will face the Wildcats in an exhibition game at the Superior Dome on Sunday, October 13th at 1 p.m.

This is the first time the Spartans have visited Northern Michigan since December 16, 1974. The Spartans won that game 91-59, with Izzo providing six assists and grabbing five rebounds.

“To say I’m excited about the opportunity to play with my Michigan State team at Northern Michigan, my alma mater, would be quite an understatement,” Izzo said.

“This is something we’ve wanted to try for a while and I think it’s going to be a very special event,” Izzo said. “We’re excited to bring our team to the UP to play and it’s going to be very cool to play a game in the Superior Dome, one of the really great venues for college sports. I think this is going to mean a lot to people, not just in East Lansing but especially to the great people in Marquette and the Upper Peninsula.”

Ticket and broadcast information for the game will be available at a later date, so a publication from the state of Michigan.

This will be the seventh game Izzo will coach in a preseason game against his alma mater.

The last time these teams faced each other in the preseason was in 2018 in East Lansing. The Spartans won that game 93-47.

The two teams have played eight regular season games against each other, with the Spartans winning seven of those games.

The Spartans started last season as the fourth-best team in Division I basketball.

Although expectations were high for last season, MSU finished the season with a record of 20-15 and lost to North Carolina in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament.

The Northern Michigan Wildcats finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 22-11.

Next season will be Tom Izzo’s 30th as head coach of the Spartans.

Izzo played guard for the Wildcats from 1973 to 1977.