MSU's Carson Cooper discusses role as a captain and mentor after rivalry loss

Coming off of an agonizing loss to Michigan in a rivalry matchup at home, the Michigan State men's basketball team now prepares for a road trip to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers in a Big Ten Conference matchup on Wednesday.

Dwelling on the loss to the Wolverines is not something the Spartans can afford to do, but the team will use it as a learning opportunity in the form of a tough film session. The team captains — forward Coen Carr, center Carson Cooper, point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and forward Jaxon Kohler — will use the loss to U-M to teach and motivate the younger players.

“Everybody got a piece of Coach (Tom Izzo) that day, and deservingly so,” Cooper said about the film session following the loss. “For me, it was making sure everybody was still mentally there, but also not holding grudges and not throwing pity parties.”

With only nine games left before the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, Cooper is using his experience as a captain to continue to push the Spartans in this last stretch of the season. The teams that find success in March do not always play their best basketball at the beginning of the season and that mentality is what Cooper is trying to use to help keep MSU energized and motivated to get better.

Looking back at the 2024-2025 season, Michigan State is a perfect example of a team that improved significantly as the season went on and played arguably its best basketball in March. The Spartans won the Big Ten regular season title, but lost three out of a four games in a stretch in February, and lost their second game in the Big Ten Tournament. It seemed as if the odds were beginning to stack against the Spartans heading into the NCAA Tournament. However, MSU found itself and made an Elite Eight run. Cooper made sure to make this example a focal point for the team to show what is capable late in the season.