No. 4 UConn beats No. 6 Michigan State 78-70 in exhibition at the Breslin Center

How the game went

No. 4 UConn beat No. 6 Michigan State 78-70 in a preseason exhibition on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan, according to UConn Athletics and On3's UConn Report. UConn's athletics department said it was believed to be the first true road exhibition in program history. ^{[1] [2]}

The Huskies led 30-22 at halftime, and the two teams played the second half to a 48-48 draw, UConn's recap said. Michigan State shot 21 of 53 from the field (39.6%) and 3 of 20 from three-point range, while UConn made 27 of 57 shots (47.7%) and 10 of 25 from deep. ^[1]

Michigan State out-rebounded UConn 37-34 and won the second-chance points count 20-18. Each team had 12 turnovers, and UConn made 63.6% of its free throws, according to the school. ^[1]

Who stood out

Nik Khamenia scored 19 points with six rebounds for UConn and had nine of them in the first half. Silas Demary Jr. added 16 and Colben Landrew 13, 11 of those after halftime, including UConn's first eight points of the second half, per UConn Athletics and On3. ^{[1] [2]}

Na'jai Hines scored eight points in 17 minutes and fouled out, On3 reported. UConn coach Dan Hurley used a smaller lineup while Hines and Oskar Giltay were in foul trouble, and guard Braylon Mullins did not play. ^[2]

For Michigan State, point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 23 points, 18 of them after the break, and Jasiah Jervis added 11, On3 reported. UConn's recap did not list Michigan State's individual scorers. Hurley said the arena "lived up to everything I thought it'd be," according to On3. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

Michigan State's athletics department listed the Spartans at No. 6 and UConn at No. 4 for the game, with tip-off at 7 p.m. ET. UConn went 34-6 last season and finished as national runner-up, and beat Syracuse 72-52 in its first exhibition, the school said. ^[3]

The programs have met nine times in the regular season and NCAA Tournament, with UConn leading 5-4. The most recent official meeting was UConn's 67-63 win in the 2026 NCAA Sweet 16, and UConn won last year's exhibition in Hartford, Connecticut, 76-69, according to Michigan State Athletics. ^[3]

What comes next

Michigan State plays at Marquette in its next exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 25, its athletics department said. UConn hosts Purdue on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in Hartford, per UConn Athletics. The Purdue game is the Huskies' final preseason game, On3 reported. ^{[3] [1] [2]}