Michigan State Looks to Rebound Against Struggling Minnesota After Heated Rivalry Loss
After a tough emotional loss to in-state rival Michigan, Michigan State heads to Minneapolis on Wednesday night with a clear mission: reset, refocus, and get back to winning Big Ten basketball.
The 10th-ranked Spartans (19-3, 9-2 Big Ten) saw their seven-game win streak snapped in an 83-71 defeat to then-No. 3 Michigan last Friday.
But the fallout from that game wasn’t limited to the scoreboard. A war of words followed, with both head coaches-Tom Izzo for Michigan State and Dusty May for Michigan-accusing the other side of dirty play.
Classic rivalry heat, but Izzo isn’t letting it linger.
“This is what it’s supposed to be,” Izzo said. “And you know what?
Michigan is over. I don’t care what Dusty says.
I don’t care what they say.”
That’s a coach trying to steer his team forward, and frankly, they’ll need to move on quickly. Michigan State was outplayed in nearly every facet last Friday, trailing by 16 at halftime-its biggest halftime deficit of the season-and surrendering its second-highest point total of the year. It was a wake-up call.
Freshman forward Coen Carr knows the film session won’t be pleasant.
“It’s going to show us our little mistakes,” Carr said. “I know we’re going to be disappointed when we watch the film just to see how many of those mistakes are fixable. It’s just the fact that we have to do it, be conscious of it, and be smart about it.”
One bright spot in the loss? Jeremy Fears Jr.
The freshman point guard exploded for a career-high 31 points, adding seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals. Fears continues to be the engine of this team, averaging 14.9 points, 8.8 assists, and a team-best 28 steals on the season.
He was candid about what went wrong against Michigan.
“We gave them a lot of easy baskets,” Fears said. “Whether it was transition, they had some fouls, some and-ones, and offensive rebounds. Just a lot of easy baskets.”
That kind of self-awareness is exactly what Izzo wants from his floor general. Alongside Fears, Jaxon Kohler remains a steady presence in the paint, averaging 13.1 points and a team-leading 9.1 rebounds.
Now, the Spartans turn their attention to Minnesota-a team that's been competitive but can’t seem to close. The Golden Gophers (10-12, 3-8 Big Ten) have dropped seven straight under first-year head coach Niko Medved, but the record doesn’t tell the full story.
Two of those losses came in overtime. Three others were decided by four points or fewer.
They’ve been in games-they just haven’t finished them.
Sunday’s 77-75 loss at Penn State was the latest heartbreaker, sealed by a last-second driving shot from Kayden Mingo with just 1.4 seconds left.
“It’s frustrating,” Medved said. “We have had a chance in every one of these games and we just needed one more play. I would have loved for this game to go to overtime here and take our chances.”
Minnesota showed resilience, erasing an 11-point deficit to tie the game late. But once again, they came up just short.
“Every one of those games we have been right in, and we had a chance to win,” Medved added. “We are just not finding a way to get over the hump.”
Offensively, the Gophers have some weapons. Langston Reynolds poured in 18 points against Penn State, while Cade Tyson added 17 and Bobby Durkin chipped in 16.
Durkin’s been trending up, averaging 17.3 points over his last three games to push his season average to 9.3. Tyson leads the team in scoring at 19.3 points per game and has hit 40 threes-just one behind Durkin for the team lead.
Isaac Asuma (39) and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (37) are also threats from deep, giving Minnesota a capable perimeter attack.
But for all the offensive firepower, it hasn’t translated to wins. And Michigan State has historically had Minnesota’s number, winning 11 of the last 13 matchups, including both meetings last season.
For the Spartans, this game is about more than just bouncing back-it’s about showing they can respond to adversity, clean up mistakes, and stay in the Big Ten title hunt. For the Gophers, it’s about finally closing the deal in a close game and proving they’re more than just a team that “almost” wins.
Tipoff in Minneapolis should be a good one. Two teams with something to prove-just in very different ways.