No. 10 Michigan State at Minnesota: How to Watch and Prediction

WHO: No. 10 Michigan State Spartans (19-3, 9-2) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-12, 3-8)

WHERE: Huntington Bank Arena — Minneapolis, MN

WHEN: Wednesday, February 4th, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET

WATCH: Big Ten Network

Another week, another potential trap game to kick things off.

The Spartans have a top-five showdown looming this weekend — a matchup that will test them much like Michigan did last Friday. But that Illinois game cannot be on anyone’s mind yet. As we saw last week, looking ahead to a marquee matchup can result in a sloppy, uncomfortable early-week performance.

Michigan State will host Illinois on Saturday, but first they head on the road to face a Minnesota team that looks down and out on paper — yet will play as scrappy as Scooby-Doo’s nephew.

Michigan State enters this one looking for a bounce-back performance after falling to rival Michigan by 12 points last Friday in a game that always felt tilted in the Wolverines’ favor. Despite a brief one-point lead in the second half and a few momentum swings, the Spartans never truly looked like the superior team. The stat sheet ended up relatively even, and the officials had their fingerprints on the game both ways, but every time someone not named Jeremy Fears put up a shot, Spartan fans collectively held their breath — knuckles white, stomach sinking, another gray hair earned.

That game is now in the rearview mirror, but it still matters — because the concerns it exposed haven’t gone away. Michigan State has shot well against weaker competition this season, but has struggled when the lights get brighter, particularly against strong conference opponents. With another big test on the horizon, this game needs to be a tune-up — not a repeat. Otherwise, the Spartans will once again lean too heavily on Fears to carry the offense.

Early in the season, Jaxon Kohler was a major weapon, shooting over 50% from three heading into the West Coast trip. Unfortunately, that hot streak got washed away by the coastal waters. Since then, Kohler is just 4-of-22 from deep. With Michigan State already struggling mightily from beyond the arc, that simply can’t continue. Relying on Jordan Scott, Coen Carr, and Kur Teng to suddenly become knockdown shooters isn’t a sustainable plan. Kohler needs to rediscover his confidence, and this Minnesota matchup might be the perfect opportunity.

This also needs to be a “get right” game for Carson Cooper, who managed just two rebounds against Michigan — none in the first half. Tom Izzo didn’t hide his frustration:

“We're starting to have too many turnovers by our bigs. I never thought I'd see the day where Coop only has two rebounds in a game, none in the first half, and I'm sure that they had something to do with that.”

Cooper, Kohler, and Carr were largely neutralized, forcing Michigan State to funnel everything through Fears. That can’t be the formula going forward. The Spartans need their bigs to reassert themselves — physically and mentally.

Michigan State still ranks 10th nationally in rebounds per game at 38.3, while Minnesota sits near the bottom at 280th, averaging just 30.5. Yet one of the Spartans’ biggest flaws this season — outside of three-point shooting — remains turnovers. That issue resurfaced again in the first half last Friday, and it’s something Izzo is now openly calling out. Early-season excuses about a tough schedule and heavy workloads no longer apply. Michigan State averages 11.5 turnovers per game, tied for 207th nationally, and that number has to come down.

Minnesota doesn’t scare me. They’re solid — just not good enough.

What does scare me is Michigan State itself. This has all the makings of a classic trap game: early-week road trip, gloomy Minnesota weather, and a massive matchup waiting back home. The Spartans must stay locked in.

I believe Izzo gets the bigs’ heads right, but if all else fails, we know Jeremy Fears is capable of throwing on the Superman cape and carrying the load.

Michigan State - 81

Minnesota - 71