Michigan State (3-1) has its final game before the Maui Invitational tonight. The Spartans will host the Samford Bulldogs (4-1) out of the Southern Conference.

Tip off from the Breslin Center will be at approximately 8 p.m. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.

Stay tuned here for live updates and game discussion from East Lansing.

Saturday's clash against Bowling Green was a hard game to coach for Tom Izzo. Sure, he was frustrated with the officials throughout the first half and the Falcons kept it tight with Michigan State for a majority of the basketball game, but it was hard for a different reason.

One of Izzo’s former players was sitting on the bench on the other side of the court. Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr. played under Izzo for four years from 2014 until 2018. He began his coaching career in 2021 and has worked his way up to being the associate head coach for BGSU.

“It’s hard enough to coach against your former assistants, but it’s really hard to coach against your former players,” Tom Izzo said after the game.

More below.

DISCLAIMER: We were planning on publishing this on Sunday, but we ran into some technical difficulties that we didn't get figured out until today. So, yes, I know this is somewhat old news because the MSU vs. Bowling Green game was on Saturday.

Baris and Thanos have earned their spot to compete in the NCAA Individual Championship on Nov. 19-24.​

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Two Michigan State men's tennis players are heading to Waco, Texas to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships. Two Spartans, junior Ozan Baris and redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos, punched their ticket.

The singles and doubles competition will be conducted Tuesday-Sunday, Nov. 19-24 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Baylor University serves as host. The NCAA Individual Championships are making their debut as the tournament has moved from the spring to the fall for the first time.

Two Spartans, junior Ozan Baris and redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos, punched their ticket.

Baris earned his spot at ITA Midwest Regionals in East Lansing, where he became the Midwest Single Champion while becoming the first Spartan to claim that title. The Spartan junior is making his third NCAA Championships appearance, reaching the national semifinals a year ago, losing to eventual national champion Filip Planinsek of Alabama. Baris is currently ranked No. 1 in the ITA Individual Rankings, and posted an 8-3 record this fall.

Thanos punched his ticket to the tournament competing at ITA Sectionals on Nov. 10 after making it to the quarterfinals. This is the Spartan redshirt sophomore's first NCAA Championships appearance. Thanks is currently ranked No. 72 in the ITA Individual Rankings, and registered a 7-4 record this fall.

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Match play starts on Tuesday, Nov. 19 and continues until they crown singles and doubles champions on Nov. 24.

Both Baris and Thanos will compete in the singles tournament. All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker at six-games-all will be used for all matches.

Baris will take on Samir Banjeree from Stanford at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT. Thanos takes on Alex Kotzen from Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT.

Keep up with the Spartans progress in the NCAA Individual Championships here: Tournament Central.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

After getting back in the win column versus Bowling Green on Saturday — in a game that was much more competitive than the 14-point final score margin showed — the Spartans (3-1) welcome in the Samford Bulldogs (4-1) on Tuesday night.

Samford is not your average mid-major squad — the Bulldogs are dangerous.

More here:

Florida Atlantic fired coach Tom Herman on Monday, the school announced, just two years into his tenure.

FAU was 6-16 during Herman's two seasons and had gone 0-6 in the AAC this year. FAU is on a five-game losing streak.


Herman took the job as FAU was transitioning from Conference USA to the AAC and after the firing of coach Willie Taggart, who was there three seasons. Chad Lunsford will be the FAU interim coach. He's the former head coach at Georgia Southern.

Sources said that the decision was results-based, as the record didn't match Herman's track record from his previous stops at Texas and Houston.

"I extend my appreciation to Tom Herman for his dedication to our university and our student-athletes," athletic director Brian White said Monday. "I informed Tom of my decision this morning and then met with the staff and team. We firmly believe in our ability to win championships and compete for bowl games, and that remains our standard."

He's the fourth AAC coach to get fired this year, as East Carolina, Temple and Rice have all fired their coaches. A majority of the six transitioning Conference USA teams have struggled with the adjustment to the AAC, as five of the seven schools at the bottom of the AAC are transitioning schools.

The FAU firing looms as the biggest surprise, as Herman had yet to complete his second season. He has three years remaining on his five-year deal.

Herman, 49, came to FAU after a stint as head coach at Texas, where he went 32-18 with four bowl wins in four seasons. Prior to that, he went 22-4 in two seasons at Houston, dominating the AAC and beating Florida State in the Peach Bowl following the 2015 season.

Following that run at Texas, Herman worked for the Chicago Bears for a year and then another year in the media. Herman should end up involved in the offensive coordinator mix somewhere, as this looms as a busy year for coordinator openings and he came up as a coordinator at Rice, Iowa State and called plays for Ohio State's 2014 national title team.

FAU has won three conference championships in school history, including Conference USA in 2017 and 2019 under Lane Kiffin. Since then, FAU has just one winning season and has endured four consecutive losing seasons.

Florida Atlantic is also rehiring defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni, who was fired by Herman on Nov. 10. Lunsford wanted Bellantoni back in his role, sources told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. The sources added that the move isn't a poor reflection on interim defensive coordinator Brandon Harris, who prepared the defense well for Saturday's game against Temple. Harris serves as the team's cornerbacks coach.

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State and North Dakota will play in the 2026 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, October 31, 2026 in Austin, Texas. North Dakota will serve as the host institution for the game, which will be played at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Austin, Texas – the home of the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars.


"We look forward to welcoming two of the top collegiate hockey programs and some of the best hockey fans in the country to Austin," said Drew Hays, Director of the Austin Sports Commission. "For hockey enthusiasts, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game is a "can't miss" event and we look forward to showcasing why Austin is the perfect destination to host the event in 2026."


"We are looking forward to playing in the Hall of Fame Game and our trip to Austin," said MSU head coach Adam Nightingale . "It promises to be an outstanding matchup between two storied college hockey programs that combined have won 11 NCAA National Championships. We are honored to be a part of this fantastic event.


Tickets will go on sale to the public on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. Please visit the official event webpage at theralph.com/Austin or email austin@theralph.com for more information on this destination event.