Michigan State's veterans are starting to settle into new roles

Under head coach Tom Izzo, the Michigan State men's basketball program always plays a difficult non-conference schedule. But the bulk of the games against high-level opponents in the months of November and December are usually played on neutral courts. 

The last time the Spartans faced a ranked non-conference opponent in the friendly confine of the Breslin Center was December of 2019, when Michigan State lost to then No. 11 Duke. This season, the Spartan players knew that hosting No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday night was going to be both a special opportunity, as well as a special challenge.

The Spartans' core of veteran starters and captains all understood the importance of getting a key, resume-building 69-66 win, even in early November. It is never too early to think about NCAA Tournament positioning. 

"Even though it's early, I feel like it's a game that we needed," junior forward Coen Carr said following the game. "We needed to win for our confidence as a team, and I feel like it will go a long way."

Senior big men Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler expressed similar sentiments.

"It's rare for teams to want to schedule us here (especially) early," Cooper said. "The fact that we can get Arkansas and Duke here is big time. We had to approach it like it like was championship game for us."

"Those are the games that you kind of dream about as a freshman," Kohler added.

On Monday, the Spartans won their home opener against Colgate University, 80-69. But the Spartans struggled to put the scrappy mid-major opponent away until later into the second half. 

With a smirk, Cooper mentioned how a "nice" film session about the short comings in the first game helped to focus and motivate the Michigan State players to the task at hand against Arkansas.

"It was all eyes on this game," Cooper said. "(The sentiment was) we've got to prepare like this is going to be the staple of how we start our season."

As the Spartans watched film on Arkansas, they realized exactly how steep the challenge was going to be. Cooper described that, on paper, Arkansas might have more individual talent than the Spartans.

"They're really athletic and strong," Cooper noted about the Razorbacks. "They're physical, (but) we're physical as well."

If the Spartans were going to earn the win, they knew that they were going to need to lean on some of the foundational elements of the Michigan State program: teamwork, energy and toughness. As the game went on, additional challenges were overcome on the way to MSU's first marquee victory of the 2025-2026 season.