Despite thrilling dunks and clutch threes, Michigan State couldn't overcome early fouls and a chippy rivalry game, ultimately falling to Michigan.
Heading into the game, the Spartans were projected as a No. 2 seed while the Wolverines were trending toward a No. 1 seed. Michigan State came into Ann Arbor hoping to play spoiler against Michigan on Senior Night. Despite clutch shooting and several massive dunks, the Spartans were ultimately unable to pull off the upset, falling 90–80.
First Half
Carson Cooper scored the first bucket of the game for either team, finishing an alley-oop from Jeremy Fears Jr. Fears entered the matchup averaging 9.1 assists per game and sitting just two assists behind Mateen Cleaves for the second-most assists in a single season in Michigan State history. He also came in just 19 assists shy of tying Cassius Winston’s single-season school record.
Fears knocked down an early three as Michigan struggled out of the gate, starting the game 0-for-6 from the field.
The officiating drew early attention. Michigan State was called for five fouls to start the game while Michigan had none. The Wolverines didn’t pick up their first foul until five and a half minutes into the game. The whistles eventually evened out, but the early stretch was rough to watch. Tom Izzo nearly blew a gasket several times throughout the game as the Spartans were hit with a series of ticky-tack calls.
The intensity of the rivalry was also on full display. Fears Jr. was assessed a technical foul after kicking a Michigan player in the groin, drawing loud reactions from the Crisler Center crowd. During a timeout interview, Izzo addressed the moment, saying, “Everything he does is under a microscope and I don’t like that. But I told him not to even breathe wrong.”
Tempers continued to flare. Aday Mara collided with Cooper on one play, appearing to throw an elbow to the back of Cooper’s head before shoving him to the floor, which resulted in another technical. Shortly after, a Michigan fast break led to a breakaway layup by McKenney. After scoring, he swiped the ball out of Kohler’s hands as Kohler tried to inbound it, adding to the chippy atmosphere that defined the night.
Meanwhile, Cooper was doing his part early, scoring eight points in the first nine minutes of action.
Michigan State struggled at times to convert offensively, forcing several tough shots that wouldn’t fall. However, their defense kept them within striking distance. Michigan briefly pushed the lead to nine points at 23–14, but a quick 5–0 run brought the Spartans right back into it.
Kur Teng, who has been excellent off the bench recently, provided a major spark. He drilled back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 27–27 with six minutes remaining in the first half, capping off a strong 16–4 Michigan State run.
Late in the half, the pace picked up dramatically. The fast break became the story, with dunks flying from both teams. The sequence was capped by a thunderous slam from Cooper that electrified the Spartans’ sideline.
Both teams showed flashes of strong defense but also stretches of lazy play on that end. Turnovers were an early theme as each side emphasized ball pressure and physical play.
Michigan State eventually regained the lead at 38–37 — their first since the score was 7–6 — thanks to back-to-back baskets from Jaxon Kohler. One came with a physical finish down low, while the other was a confident three from the top of the arc.
Michigan, however, had the final word of the half, knocking down a big three-pointer to take a 42–41 lead into halftime.
Second Half
The teams traded blows early in the second half until another technical foul was assessed to Michigan. Mara picked up his second technical of the night after grabbing Fears’ jersey following a steal, sending him back to the bench.
Kohler continued his outstanding night despite sporting a black eye. With 15 minutes remaining, he had already scored 18 of Michigan State’s 51 points. He later added another three-pointer and at one point sat at 9-of-11 shooting for 21 points.
The Fears-to-Cooper connection also reappeared in the second half, producing more highlight-reel alley-oops and impressive finishes.
Midway through the half, Michigan seized momentum with an 11–0 run that flipped the game from a four-point Spartan lead to a seven-point Wolverine advantage at 68–61.
The run was finally broken when Fears lobbed yet another alley-oop to Cooper, who hammered it home through contact. The Wolverines immediately answered with a booming three that sent an electric wave through Crisler Center. Carr responded moments later with a powerful slam of his own, keeping the game at a fever pitch.
Both teams were shooting the ball extremely well, and the intensity only continued to rise.
With under four minutes remaining, Michigan held a 76–70 lead in a game that felt as tense as any all season.
Depth became a factor late. Michigan State’s bench had been outscored 22–6 at that point, leaving the starters to carry most of the load to keep the Spartans within striking distance.
Late in the game, the Spartans had two opportunities to secure a defensive rebound after Michigan misses that could have cut the deficit to a one-possession game. Instead, Michigan’s size and physicality prevented MSU from grabbing either rebound, and the Wolverines retained possession after the ball went out of bounds.
Michigan converted on the ensuing play, and the momentum quickly snowballed. Cooper’s hook shot on the next possession bounced around the rim before falling out. Carr then missed on the following trip, and suddenly Michigan had stretched the lead to seven.
Teng missed a three-point attempt shortly after, and Cooper was called for a costly off-ball foul that resulted in a technical. From there, the Wolverines closed the door.
The second half remained competitive throughout, but the Spartans ultimately fell short for the second time this season against their in-state rivals.
Michigan State is likely to drop to the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, assuming Nebraska defeats Iowa in its season finale, which was still underway at the time of this writing.
The Spartans finish the 2026 regular season at 25–6 overall and 15–5 in conference play. However, with the regular season now complete, the real work begins.
Michigan State’s first Big Ten Tournament game will take place Friday night. The path is clear: three wins would secure the conference tournament title.