Stringing it Together: Michigan State seeks consistency as March approaches
MSU escaped with a 66-60 win over Ohio State, but as Tom Izzo has made clear, this team’s margin for error is slim, and survival isn’t enough. The Spartans seek consistency.
With March approaching, the margins are tightening for the Michigan State men's basketball team, and as head coach Tom Izzo has talked about, thr Spartans' margin for error is small. Consistency has become the message inside the MSU locker room.
The Spartans were able to grind out a 66-60 win over Ohio State at the Breslin Center on Sunday, improving to 22-5 overall and 12-4 in Big Ten play on the 2025-2026 season. It wasn’t the prettiest start, as the Green and White started off the game with the team's lowest-scoring first half of the season with just 23 points.
There were obvious frustrations from Izzo and the players after admitting the team had had many substantial practices leading up to the matchup with the Buckeyes. This game serves as another step in what this team hopes to accomplish, focusing on stringing together a complete performance.
For point guard and team captain Jeremy Fears Jr., that is the difference between being a good team and a threat in March.
“We beat Illinois, a tough opponent, at home,” Fears said. “And then you beat a good UCLA team at home. It’s figuring out how to string some games together and how to play at our best.”
Michigan State has shown flashes of its ceiling all season, ranking among the top defensive groups, as well as producing some of the most efficient assists and rebounding statistics. The win over OSU illustrated MSU’s promising areas and the ongoing challenges this team has faced.
The Spartans went into the locker room at halftime down three points after a slow offensive start against the Buckeyes, turning the ball over on the first play, combined with early foul trouble that sidelined forward Jaxon Kohler for long stretches. The team's rhythm got disrupted, but MSU ultimately found a way to survive even on a day when shots wouldn’t fall.
Specifically, center Carson Cooper delivered a complete game. He had 11 rebounds, and a career-high 20 points, which came in part from mid-range jumpers and a powerful dunk that came off of an assist freshman wing Jordan Scott. Scott totaled 12 points himself and provided energy on the court.
“He’s huge,” Fears said about Scott.
