Spartans Handle San Jose State, But Second-Half Lapse Sends Izzo a Warning
EAST LANSING, Mich. — With the news of sanctions and penalties levied earlier this week against the MSU Spartan football program, it was nice to shift focus to the “other men’s sport” on campus. After all, Michigan is a basketball school, right?
The No. 17 Michigan State Spartans moved to 3–0 on Friday night, topping San Jose State 79–60 at the Breslin Center. But despite the comfortable margin, this wasn’t the crisp, wire-to-wire performance Tom Izzo wanted. A dominant first half gave way to a sloppy, inconsistent second, leaving the Hall of Fame coach with plenty to harp on before a massive test next week.
🏀 Spartans Stat Capsule
Final: Michigan State 79, San Jose State 60 | Record: MSU (3–0)
Top Performers: Kohler — 17 PTS, 18 REB • Cooper — 17 PTS • Fears Jr. — 15 PTS, 9 AST
Next Up: vs. Kentucky — Tue, Nov. 18 — Champions Classic (Madison Square Garden)
Spartans Blitz Early
Michigan State opened the night looking every bit like a ranked team, racing out to a 46–23 halftime lead behind efficient offense and smothering defense. The Spartans held San Jose State to just 1-for-12 shooting to start the game and owned the paint from the jump.
Senior center Carson Cooper powered the surge with 12 of his 17 points in the first half, finishing at the rim and running the floor with purpose. Sophomore guard Kur Teng added instant energy off the bench, dropping 10 first-half points and helping Michigan State build a cushion that felt insurmountable.
There was a moment, around five minutes into the game, where Coen Carr left me absolutely speechless. He took a pass on the left wing and threw down what might have been the most explosive dunk I’ve ever witnessed in college basketball. Seriously, no hyperbole here, you could feel the force of that dunk through the television. His athleticism is otherworldly, and that dunk sent the Breslin into a frenzy.
A Second-Half Letdown
But Izzo’s group came out of the locker room flat. San Jose State opened the second half on an 8–0 run, slicing into the lead and forcing a frustrated Izzo to burn an early timeout. Defensive lapses, stagnant possessions and a dip in intensity let the visiting Spartans claw back to within 10 — far too close for comfort given the opening 20 minutes.
In his postgame remarks, Izzo didn’t spare himself. “I did a poor job of getting my team ready to play the second half,” he said. He added a vintage Izzo-ism to drive the point home: “We got fat and sassy at halftime… and for two seniors and a junior to get fat and sassy, that tells me we’re not where we need to be.”
Stars Shine Through the Inconsistency
Even with the uneven performance, Michigan State had several bright spots. Senior forward Jaxon Kohler delivered a monster evening, recording his second double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-best 18 rebounds. Carson Cooper matched him with 17 and continued to show real growth as an interior scorer.
Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. stitched everything together, finishing with 15 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. He drilled momentum-saving threes and settled the offense during San Jose State’s surge — the kind of poise Izzo expects from a floor general wearing green and white.
Bluegrass Test on Deck
There won’t be much time to linger on this one. Michigan State now turns its attention to a massive Champions Classic showdown against No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, November 18. It’s an early-season heavyweight bout — and a measuring stick for a Spartans team that hasn’t yet put together a full forty minutes.
Izzo didn’t mince words about what’s required. “If we play like this, we’re going to get killed,” he said. Free-throw woes, defensive lapses and consistency will be the focus as Michigan State prepares for a Wildcats team stacked with talent.
So the Spartans are now 3-0 and heading into a stretch of their schedule where they’ll face Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina, with Detroit Mercy, East Carolina, and Iowa sprinkled in between. How do you think the Spartans will do against some of college basketball’s blue-blood programs?
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Info gathered from team reports, pressers & trusted media outlets — the way we always do it at Mitten Sports Talk.
