News Update: Izzo Returns, MSU-UVA Tip Time Announced, Ohio State Kickoff Set For Noon

The Spartans head to Virginia in this year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge. We now also know the game is scheduled to tip at 9:15 PM ET on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The game will air on ESPN following the Louisville-Wisconsin game.

It will be the first game between the two teams since the Elite 8 matchup in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, and just the fourth meeting overall between the programs. MSU also played Virginia in the 2002 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and in the Sweet 16 during the 2014 NCAA Tournament. MSU owns a 3-0 record in the series to date.

(This story was updated at 2:47 PM ET on Nov. 24 to include the above start time news)

Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo returned to team practices over the past weekend. Coach Izzo had been quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 9. Assistant coach Dwayne Stephens filled in as acting head coach in his absence.

Coach Izzo will be back on the sideline as well for the season opener against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday evening. The full press release from Michigan State Athletics is below:

Michigan State’s men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo attended weekend practices and returned to the office on Monday morning, having completed his self-isolation following a positive COVID-19 test.

Izzo tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 9 and isolated at his home for 11 days, before returning to observe practices on Friday and Saturday. He returned to the office on Monday morning in advance of Michigan State’s season-opening game on Wednesday, Nov. 25 against Eastern Michigan at the Breslin Center.

“I want to thank the medical staff and doctors at Michigan State who helped me over the last two weeks since I tested positive,” Izzo said. “Our front-line workers during this time have been so essential, and I have a great appreciation for those people and what they have done to fight this disease during this time. While some people who have tested positive have not been affected too much by it, I am here to tell you that this virus is no joke and everyone must take this seriously.

“It was hard for me to be away from my team and our players, but I also understood the challenges associated with this virus and the need for me to isolate and follow proper protocol to ensure that I was healthy enough to return to work.

“I want to thank Dwayne Stephens for leading our team over the last two weeks and to the entire coaching staff and our support staff for their hard work and dedication. I’ve stayed in touch with my players as much as I could, but I am looking forward to seeing them in person today. I was really impressed with the hard work they have put in during this time. We are all looking forward to the start of the season.”

We are already almost to the close of the Big Ten regular football season. That really sinks in when you realize the visit next Saturday, Dec. 5 by the Ohio State Buckeyes is the second to last game of the regular season for the Michigan State Spartans. That kickoff has been set for noon ET and will air on ABC.

Ohio State emerged at 4-0 Saturday after a win over Indiana. The Buckeyes are scheduled to play Illinois this Saturday, and MSU will be taking on Northwestern. The Buckeyes are riding a four-game win streak over the Spartans entering this season’s matchup. Michigan State has not beaten Ohio State in East Lansing since a 23-7 victory in 1999 by the then Nick Saban-led squad.