Tom Izzo disappointed with MSU's young guys, but praises development of Jeremy Fears Jr. after win over UDM

The Michigan State men's basketball team stayed undefeated and improved to 5-0 after an 84-56 win over Detroit Mercy on Friday night.

While the Spartans did secure the win, MSU head coach Tom Izzo thinks his team should have played better against the Titans.

Outside of the four mainstays and team captains — Carson Cooper, Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaxon Kohler — Michigan State was just 8-for-31 from the field from the rest of its team.

Izzo mentioned that he wishes the players could have built off the good game they played versus Kentucky on Tuesday, an 83-66 victory over the Wildcats in the Champions Classic in New York City.

“The other guys struggled a little bit,” Izzo said about the non-captains. “Both offensively and defensively, and that was disappointing coming off pretty good play out in New York, but that is where we are right now. We just are not consistent enough for me.”

One thing that has plagued Michigan State and was no different on Friday night compared to the majority of the 2025-2026 season thus far was the 3-point shooting.

The Spartans shot just 8-for-27 from behind the arc and have not been successful from deep for the entire season, shooting just 24.1% from 3-point range through five games.

However, Izzo noted the pressure to make outside shots is not something that he burdens his players with, but rather how hard they play the game is more important to him.

“Whether you believe this or not, most people don’t, I hardly said a word to one guy about a shot," Izzo said. "I was more disappointed that our two guards didn’t guard anybody. So I don’t put pressure on them about their shooting. That is a myth. I put pressure on how hard they play, how hard they run, how much effort they give, and how much passion they play with. Those are my stats.”