Michigan State Opens Big Ten Play at Home Against Undefeated Iowa
EAST LANSING, Mich. - After a strong showing in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, Michigan State returns to the Breslin Center on Tuesday night to kick off Big Ten Conference play against an undefeated Iowa squad. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the game streaming live on Peacock.
The Spartans head into conference action riding a wave of momentum. They dominated East Carolina, 89-56, and followed it up with a convincing 74-58 win over then-No.
18 North Carolina on Thanksgiving Day. That victory marked MSU’s third win over a ranked opponent this season - joining triumphs over No.
14 Arkansas and No. 12 Kentucky - making them one of just two teams in the country (alongside Arizona) with three top-25 wins already.
It’s also the first time since the 2015-16 season that Michigan State has gone undefeated through November.
A Look at the Spartans
Coming off a 30-7 campaign last season that included a 17-3 Big Ten record and a regular-season conference title, Michigan State is once again showing why they’re a perennial powerhouse under Tom Izzo. The Spartans reached the Elite Eight last spring and finished the year ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll. Now, they’re blending experience with emerging talent as they look to build on that success.
Through seven games, MSU is getting balanced production across the board. Four players are averaging double figures, and seven are putting up at least six points per game. That kind of depth is a hallmark of Izzo’s best teams - and it’s paying off early.
Senior forward Jaxon Kohler is leading the charge, averaging 14.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He already has three double-doubles this season and grabbed 18 boards against San Jose State - the most by a Spartan since Miles Bridges pulled down 21 in 2018. Kohler also dropped 20 points on Kentucky in the Champions Classic, marking his first career 20-point game.
Redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is proving to be the engine that keeps this team running. He’s logging a team-high 31.3 minutes per game and putting up 12.0 points while dishing out 9.9 assists - the top mark in all of Division I. Fears was electric against North Carolina, scoring a career-high 19 points (15 in the second half) and adding seven assists as the Spartans pulled away late.
Junior forward Coen Carr, one of the most explosive athletes in college hoops, is averaging 10.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in nearly 30 minutes per game. His ability to impact both ends of the floor has been a major boost.
Senior center Carson Cooper is playing the most minutes of his career (24.1 per game) and making them count, averaging 10.6 points and six rebounds. Freshman forward Cam Ward has also made an early impact, contributing 9.0 points and 5.1 boards per game off the bench.
Beyond the top scorers, the Spartans have seen meaningful contributions from sophomore guard Kur Teng (6.0 ppg), senior guard Trey Fort (6.6 ppg), sophomore Divine Ugochukwu (4.3 ppg), and redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch (2.7 ppg). Freshman Jordan Scott is also logging nearly 14 minutes per game, giving Izzo plenty of options in the rotation.
Michigan State prepped for the season with two exhibitions - a home win over Bowling Green and a competitive road loss to preseason No. 4 UConn. Since then, they’ve looked sharper with each outing.
Big Ten Opener History
Under Tom Izzo, Michigan State is 18-12 in Big Ten openers. They started last season’s conference slate with a 90-72 win at Minnesota and followed it up with an 89-52 home victory over Nebraska. But it’s worth noting - the Spartans have dropped their last two Big Ten openers played at home, falling to Wisconsin in 2023 and Northwestern in 2022.
Scouting Iowa
Tuesday night’s opponent comes in hot. Iowa is 7-0 and fresh off a pair of wins at the Acrisure Classic in California, where they knocked off Ole Miss and Grand Canyon. The Hawkeyes have also taken care of business at home with wins over Robert Morris, Western Illinois, Xavier, Southeast Missouri State, and Chicago State.
This year’s Iowa squad looks very different. First-year head coach Ben McCollum - who won 31 games and both the regular season and tournament titles at Drake last season - brought six players with him from that team. Only one scholarship player, redshirt freshman Cooper Koch, returned from last year’s Hawkeyes roster.
Leading the way is junior guard Bennett Stirtz, the reigning Missouri Valley Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. He’s averaging 18.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, and he’s clearly the engine for this new-look Iowa team.
The Matchup
This will be the only regular-season meeting between Michigan State and Iowa, and it’s the 139th all-time matchup between the programs. The Spartans lead the series 78-60 and are 47-20 against Iowa at home, including a 22-5 mark at the Breslin Center.
Last season, MSU clinched the Big Ten title with a 91-84 win in Iowa City. However, Iowa has won two of the last three games in East Lansing, and the teams have split the last four meetings overall.
With both teams entering conference play on a roll, Tuesday night sets the stage for a high-stakes battle in the Big Ten. Michigan State’s depth and experience will be tested by an Iowa team that’s still figuring out its identity - but doing so while winning games.
We’re about to find out just how ready the Spartans are for the grind of Big Ten basketball.