The sheer dominance that Michigan State exhibited against East Carolina on Tuesday afternoon was something that Spartan fans no longer take for granted.
After Cassius Winston left the program, Michigan State had a few years of “underachievement” under Tom Izzo, making the NCAA Tournament, but never getting past the Sweet 16. It felt like the program was trending downward under an aging head coach, but after losing to North Carolina in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Izzo vowed to get the program back to where it was supposed to be — or he’d die trying, in his words.
Izzo took that loss in the second round against North Carolina hard, making sure the program wasn’t drifting any closer to mediocrity, and the results have been great ever since.
Michigan State won the Big Ten last season and now it sits at 6-0 after yet another dominant win, ranked No. 11 in the country. And it’ll face the team that sparked this turnaround on Thursday.
Before that, however, it’s time to go over the report card from another dominant MSU effort. How’d the Spartans fare against the Pirates on Tuesday?
Jeremy Fears Jr. — B+
Not his best game, but Jeremy Fears Jr. showed that he can hit the long-ball, making 2-of-4 shots from deep, but that accounted for his only points (6). He added nine assists to just three turnovers, but he’s going to have to do a little more offensively on Thursday if the Spartans want to take North Carolina down.
Coen Carr — B
Like Fears, Coen Carr didn’t need to do a whole lot against East Carolina, but he bounced back from a shaky first-half performance to drop 11 second-half points and finish with 13. He had four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block and one of the best alley-oops you’re going to see at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. This was a decent game for Carr, but nothing truly special.
Jaxon Kohler — A
Potentially Jaxon Kohler’s best game of the year, and the word “potentially” shows just how good he’s been this season. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor, racking up 16 points. He was also 4-for-4 from deep, and he finished with eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. There’s a legit case for Kohler to be the Big Ten’s most improved player.
Carson Cooper — B+
Not many players have improved as much as Carson Cooper since his freshman year. The senior big man has gone from lanky baby deer-type to polished lob threat over the past few years, and he’s really looking like a post threat for the green and white. He finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal on Tuesday afternoon. Cooper does everything pretty well.
Trey Fort — B
Everyone has been begging for Trey Fort to shoot the ball more, and he did that with more confidence against East Carolina, making 4-of-10 shots for nine points. Izzo has to be proud of his play on the other end of the floor, too, as he added two blocks and two rebounds.
Divine Ugochukwu — A
Divine Ugochukwu finally had his breakout game with the Spartans. He looked comfortable running the point with Fears off the floor, and that’s a great sign moving forward. He finished with a career-high 16 points two go along with two assists and two steals. Oh, and he shot an incredible 6-for-7 from the floor — shooting is apparently contagious.
Cam Ward — A-
It’s hard to find flaws in Cam Ward’s game. He just does everything really well, and that continued at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. He played with toughness like he always does, and scored a quiet nine points off the bench, adding four rebounds. Ward is consistently in the B+/A- range.
Kur Teng — C+
On a day when his shot wasn’t falling like it did against Kentucky two games earlier, Kur Teng made his presence felt in other ways. He hit just 1-of-5 shot attempts, but he had two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. As long as he shows up on defense, Teng’s play won’t fully depend on how hot he is from beyond the arc.
Jordan Scott — C
It’s been a few games since Jordan Scott really had the impact that we saw in the first couple of games, and I think he just needs to get his confidence back. He played 12 minutes, but was just 1-for-5 from the floor. He contributed defensively with a steal, but overall, this was just an average showing for the freshman.
Jesse McCulloch — B-
Jesse McCulloch may see his minutes increase if he continues to improve, but he didn’t do a whole lot offensively against East Carolina, scoring just two points on 1-of-3 shooting. He was much better on the defensive end, however, finishing with two rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.
Denham Wojcik — C+
It’s hard to really give Denham Wojcik a grade since he didn’t play much, but his eight minutes are more than the usual 1-2. He had a rebound, an assist, and a steal in eight minutes, but he’s also missed the only shot he took. Above average game for the team’s third point guard.