Izzo’s return to Marquette comes on the heels of his No. 10 being retired by the Wildcats. That news was delivered during Michigan State’s midnight madness event last week by Steve Mariucci, Izzo’s longtime friend, teammate and a former NFL head coach.

Tom Izzo is taking Michigan State basketball back to his alma mater, Northern Michigan, for a rare exhibition trip to Marquette on Sunday.

The Scarlet Knights are set to face the Spartans at Madison Square Garden in January, marking their second consecutive matchup at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Rutgers hosted Michigan State at the same venue in their last trip to the East Coast in February of 2023, defeating its visitors comfortably in front of a scarlet-clad crowd.