NCAA Tournament Basketball: Michigan State vs Memphis

Michigan State's Branden Dawson thanks the fans at the end of the team's third round of the NCAA Tournament win over Memphis at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Michigan State won the game, 70-48, to advance into the Sweet 16.

(J. Scott Park | MLive.com)

Michigan State announced its 2013-14 men's basketball schedule, including a Big Ten conference regular-season slate that begins at Penn State on Dec. 31 and concludes March 9 at Ohio State.

"NYE IN THE BJC!!"

, with the school promoting the arrival of a possible top five team in Michigan State to the Bryce Jordan Center.

Michigan State will appear on ESPN or ESPN2 eight times during the Big Ten season and at least twice on CBS during the conference slate.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo said in a statement earlier this month he thought the Big Ten could be even better than it was last season.

The schedule for Michigan State is expected to be difficult, as the Big Ten teams that face the Spartans only once in the regular season involve games at Purdue, at Wisconsin and home against Minnesota and Nebraska.

Michigan State announced that 7 p.m. will be the start time of an Oct. 29 exhibition against Division II Grand Valley State to kick off the home schedule.

Here is the entire schedule:

Oct. 29 GRAND VALLEY STATE (exhibition) East Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m.

Nov. 4 INDIANA (PA) (exhibition) East Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m.

Nov. 8 McNEESE STATE East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Nov. 12 vs. Kentucky (Champions Classic) (ESPN) Chicago, Ill. 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 COLUMBIA (Coaches vs. Cancer Classic) East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Nov. 18 PORTLAND (Coaches vs. Cancer Classic) East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Nov. 22 vs. Virginia Tech (Coaches vs. Cancer Classic) (TruTV) Brooklyn, N.Y. 9:30 p.m.

Nov. 23 vs. Oklahoma/Seton Hall (Coaches vs. Cancer Classic) (TruTV) Brooklyn, N.Y. 7/9:30 p.m.

Nov. 29 MOUNT ST. MARY'S East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Dec. 4 NORTH CAROLINA (Big Ten-ACC Challenge) East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Dec. 14 vs. Oakland Auburn Hills, Mich. TBA

Dec. 17 NORTH FLORIDA East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Dec. 21 at Texas Austin, Texas TBA

Dec. 28 NEW ORLEANS East Lansing, Mich. TBA

Dec. 31 at Penn State State College, Pa. 5 p.m.

Jan. 4 at Indiana (CBS) Bloomington, Ind. 2 p.m.

Jan. 7 OHIO STATE (ESPN) East Lansing, Mich. 9 p.m.

Jan. 11 MINNESOTA East Lansing, Mich. 2:15 p.m.

Jan. 15 at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. 7 p.m.

Jan. 18 at Illinois Champaign, Ill. 8 p.m.

Jan. 21 INDIANA (ESPN) East Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m.

Jan. 25 MICHIGAN (ESPN) East Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 at Iowa (ESPN) Iowa City, Iowa 7 p.m.

Feb. 1 vs. Georgetown (Fox Sports 1) New York, N.Y. 3 p.m.

Feb. 6 PENN STATE (ESPN/ESPN2) East Lansing, Mich. 9 p.m.

Feb. 9 at Wisconsin (CBS) Madison, Wis. 1 p.m.

Feb. 13 NORTHWESTERN East Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m.

Feb. 16 NEBRASKA East Lansing, Mich. 3 p.m.

Feb. 20 at Purdue (ESPN/ESPN2) West Lafayette, Ind. 7 p.m.

Feb. 23 at Michigan (TBA) Ann Arbor, Mich. TBA

March. 1 ILLINOIS (ESPN/ESPN2) East Lansing, Mich. 2 p.m.

March. 6 IOWA (ESPN/ESPN2) East Lansing, Mich. 9 p.m.

March. 9 at Ohio State (TBA) Columbus, Ohio TBA

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