East Lansing, MI – The No. 22 Michigan State Spartans hosted the No.14 Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday night in a marquee top 25 showdown at the Breslin Center. The Spartans come in after earning their first home win of the 2025-26 season on Monday against Colgate, 80-69. Michigan State is coming off a 2024-25 season in which they went 30-7 overall and 17-3 in Big Ten conference play, losing in the Elite Eight to the top-ranked Auburn Tigers in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Spartans lost four key players this year, two of whom are now in the NBA and NBA G League. They added 6’4 senior guard Trey Fort from Sanford to help at the two-guard position. They return a roster that contains a healthy balance of experience and youth, making for an intriguing 2025-26 team.
There were stars on both sides as Michigan State’s 6’6 junior forward Coen Carr started the game scoring with a two-handed dunk off a drive in transition. Carr displayed his NBA-ready athleticism and vertical length all night, soaring for rebounds and challenging shots at the rim with his reach. Carr also showed his high level of motor and athleticism, flying in for a putback layup early in the game. Carr used his ball-handling and muscular frame to drive against defense pressure and finish strong around the rim. He impressed late in the contest, displaying his high motor, gathering an offensive rebound, and getting fouled on a dunk attempt. The junior was all over the floor all night for the Spartans.
6’2 Redshirt Sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. did a stellar job handling the starting point guard duty for the Spartans as he used his quick burst to draw fouls on drives and convert at the free throw line. Fears Jr. controlled the ball against the Razorbacks’ full-court pressure and was a maestro, orchestrating for his teammates, leading the game with nine assists. He led the fastbreak well, finding Kohler for a transition layup in the second half to take a 45-42 lead. Defensively, he showed he is a strong pressure defender who forced a number of pickups above the three-point line, resulting in one steal on the evening.
The Spartans’ 6’10 senior forward Jaxon Kohler also chipped in with a solid effort on both ends, contributing 10 points and seven rebounds. Kohler showcased his passing ability out of the low post, finding both Carr and Ward on basket cuts. He also used his big frame and footwork to carve out a low-post position, creating post-up opportunities. Kohler showed activity on the final possession of the first half as he tipped in a missed layup, trimming the Arkansas lead to 39-36 at halftime. Defensively, he moved his feet well, displaying activity in gap coverage, and showed he’s capable of contesting shots at the rim. The Spartans’ 6’11 senior center Carson Cooper is another large and physical big man who found himself in foul trouble in the first half. He played solid on both ends in the second, passing out of the high post and scoring in pick-and-roll situations. He demonstrated his athleticism, finishing two pick-and-roll lob passes from Fears Jr. with strong two-handed dunks. Both bigs move their feet well and cover enough space to play on the floor together on both ends of the floor.
Michigan State’s best performance of the game came from 6’9 freshman forward Cam Ward, who came off the bench and had a huge impact, finishing with his first college career double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, going an efficient 8-of-13 from the field. Ward was the spark plug that Tom Izzo and the Spartans needed off the bench in this close battle. Ward is a strong rebound-and-run forward who covers space on the floor well with his natural size and length. Ward scored a number of times off middle cuts in the half-court and off baseline out of bounds, finishing strong with two-hand dunks. Ward played with a relentless motor, always looking to get involved in the play. He scored in the low post off a baseline drop step and dunk in the second half. Ward’s impact was felt on both ends of the floor all game.
For Arkansas, they were led by future lottery pick 6’3 freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. and 6’5 freshman forward Meleek Thomas, who each finished with 16 points. They both displayed their natural speed inside to get to the free-throw line and shooting mechanics in the catch-and-shoot, both knocking down a pair of three-pointers in the game. In the second half, Acuff Jr. got a quick rebound and pushed in transition, finishing with speed and strength on a layup. He is very athletic and explosive in the open court.
Along with Acuff Jr. and Thomas were 6’10 senior forward Trevon Brazile and 6’4 junior guard D.J. Wagner. Brazile and Wagner both displayed quick, strong shot releases, making them threats from the perimeter in the catch-and-shoot. Wagner impressed early, coming up with a steal and converting a strong one-handed dunk in transition. The Razorbacks also have 6’10 graduate forward Nick Pringle, who brings veteran leadership and sneaky athleticism. Defensively, Pringle rotated over on a middle drive and used his outstanding length and strength to reject a layup in the paint.
In a close battle, both teams shot poorly from the perimeter, and most points were scored in transition. Michigan State dominated with points in the paint 45-28 as Cam Ward and both bigs shined in the instant classic. Late in the game, Acuff Jr. found Pringle around the basket for an athletic dunk as Arkansas made it a one-point game at 66-65 with less than three minutes left in the game. Pringle later found himself at the free-throw line as he made a free throw to tie the game at 66 with 1:41 left in the game. Both teams exchanged fouls and free-throw opportunities late. On the final Michigan State possession, Fears Jr. would absorb a hard foul with 43.2 seconds left and make two of the three free throws to put the Spartans up 69-66. Arkansas would miss multiple three-point opportunities as the Spartans held on for the 69-66 win.
This article was written by Nate Koesel, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
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