Spartans dominate East Carolina, showcasing sharp shooting and relentless defense in a convincing victory. A key player's scare adds drama to their continued undefeated streak.
The Fort Myers Classic tipped off this afternoon with one of its headliners, Michigan State, taking on an East Carolina team missing its top three players. Even in Pirate territory, the Spartans stormed south and handled business, staying perfect with an 89–56 win.
MSU entered at 5–0, ECU at 2–3. Vegas opened the Spartans as 22.5-point favorites — a line that dipped to 21.5 before tip. And from the moment the ball went up, Michigan State looked every bit the heavyweight.
First Half: Threes, Physicality, and a Scare
The Spartans came out aggressive on the boards and in the paint. Shots didn’t fall early, but like any road-venue, sun-splashed afternoon tip, it took a few minutes to settle in.
After an 8–3 start that stalled into a 9–9 tie, Michigan State found its spark. Jaxon Kohler hit a three. Kur Teng followed. Then Divine Ugochukwu. Suddenly MSU had its biggest lead of the game to that point, 20–11, midway through the first half.
Then came the scare.
Star forward Coen Carr slipped trying to stop and immediately grabbed at his left groin. At first glance it looked like he took a shot below the belt, but replay showed a non-contact injury. The arena fell silent. Carr stayed down, then walked off under his own power — and, to the relief of every Spartan fan, returned shortly after with no limitations.
From there, Michigan State controlled everything.
Kohler splashed another three to give him a team-high eight early points. Carson Cooper looked like an alien on the glass, pulling down five boards in the first 12 minutes. A Fears transition three extended the lead to 28–14. Whether it was starters or bench, the Spartans kept pushing, kept sharing the ball, and kept getting high-quality looks.
MSU led by as many as 17 and went into the locker room up 47–24 after a dominant, unselfish first half.
Second Half: More Heat, More Threes, More Spartans
The second half picked up right where the first ended — with Michigan State raining shots and suffocating ECU.
At one point, the Spartans nearly doubled their 23-point halftime lead, pushing it to 41 behind more Carr dunks, continued paint pressure, and a barrage of threes. Kohler hit his fourth triple to reach 16 points. Carr hit double digits. Ugochukwu kept filling it up.
By the seven-minute mark, Michigan State had already matched the 11 threes they drained against Kentucky — and they finished with 13 in total. Since the Arkansas game, when MSU hit just one from deep, the shooting turnaround has been dramatic.
MSU closed out the Pirates 89–56, easily covering and only just missing your 91–60 prediction.
This was the quintessential team win — starters to bench, wire to wire — and a perfect tune-up for the Thanksgiving Day showdown between No. 11 Michigan State and No. 16 Kentucky at 4:30 p.m. EST.
Final Michigan State Stats
Starters:
- Jaxon Kohler: 16 pts, 8 reb, 4/4 3PT, 2 stl, 2 blk
- Coen Carr: 13 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 1/3 3PT, 2 stl, 1 blk
- Carson Cooper: 10 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk
- Jeremy Fears Jr.: 3 pts, 2 reb, 7 ast, 1/3 3PT, 1 stl
- Trey Fort: 9 pts, 2 reb, 2/4 3PT, 2 blk
Bench:
- Divine Ugochukwu: 16 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3/4 3PT, 2 stl
- Cam Ward: 9 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast
- Kur Teng: 3 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1/2 3PT, 1 stl
- Jordan Scott: 3 pts, 1 ast, 1/2 3PT, 1 stl
- Jesse McCulloch: 2 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl
- Denham Wojcik: 1 reb, 1 ast
- Brennan Walton: 2 pts, 2 reb