STARKVILLE — Mississippi State men’s basketball will likely open its second season under head coach Chris Jans in the Windy City.
The Bulldogs will play Arizona State as part of a Nov. 8 double-header at Wintrust Arena, with the other matchup featuring Loyola-Chicago and 2023 Final Four participant, Florida Atlantic, according to Rocco Miller at Bracketeer.org.
The game will likely be MSU’s first of the year, with the college basketball season set to begin Nov. 6. A spokesperson for the program could not confirm the report to The Dispatch.
The two-game event is expected to be sponsored by Barstool Sports, according to Miller, and would mark the second consecutive year MSU would play in a Barstool event. The Bulldogs beat Akron in last year’s inaugural Barstool Sports Invitational, played in Philadelphia.
The Bulldogs, coming off of their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 where they fell in the First Four to Pittsburgh, are also scheduled to play Northern Alabama on Nov. 14 and an unnamed opponent in Atlanta on Dec. 9, according to multiple reports.
MSU will also participate in this year’s Hall-of-Fame Tip Off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, against Washington State on Nov. 18 and either Northwestern or Rhode Island on Nov. 19.
MSU, who gave Jans a contract extension through the 2026-27 season in May, returns all five of its starters from last season, including First-Team All-SEC forward Tolu Smith, who spurned the NBA Draft for his last year of college eligibility.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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