3 Areas Michigan State Must Improve At Against Arkansas

It's only the second game of the season, but No. 22 Michigan State is already receiving its first big test of the young campaign against No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, FOX).

MSU looked shaky during its season opener against Colgate, while the Razorbacks looked sharp versus Southern. A one-game sample size in early November is not that indicative of future success, but the Spartans certainly need to be better for this one.

"[We've got] a lot of work to do, or we're going to get our ass embarrassed on Saturday," head coach Tom Izzo said after the win on Tuesday. "And maybe that's good. It's good to have that pressure on us."

Here are three specific areas where Michigan State must improve:

Free Throw Shooting

Michigan State forward Coen Carr (55) lines up a free throw during an exhibition game against Bowling Green on Oct. 23, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

One obvious area where the Spartans have not met their standard is their performance at the free-throw line. It was a problem during the two exhibition games, and it was a problem against Colgate on Monday. Michigan State went 24-for-37 against the Raiders, which is a rate of only 64.9%.

MSU shot 77.9% from the charity stripe last year, which ranked No. 20 nationally. The team did lose three players during the offseason who shot at least 80% (Frankie Fidler, 86.1%; Tre Holloman, 85.1%; and Jase Richardson, 83.6%), so perhaps that is a small factor.

But several solid-to-decent shooters have struggled lately. Jaxon Kohler was 6-for-9 at the line on Monday when he was an 82.1% shooter last season. Coen Carr went 2-for-5 and was at 70.1% in 2024-25.

Arkansas did make its free throws during its first game. The Razorbacks went 25-for-29 against Southern. Michigan State's home-court advantage could affect this, but the Spartans cannot leave so many points on the table from 14 feet away.

Perimeter Defense

Michigan State's coach Tom Izzo, right, talks with Jeremy Fears Jr. during the first half against Colgate on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This was another big strength of Michigan State's from last season that was not there on Monday. Colgate hit 11 threes at a 37.9% clip. MSU's opponents only hit 28.0% of their long-range attempts in 2024-25, which was second in the country.

That percentage from the Raiders would have been the third-highest from a team facing the Spartans last season.

Arkansas was a poor three-point shooting team last year, making only 32.7% of its attempts and ranking 243rd nationally, but the Razorbacks did just fine against Southern. They went 10-for-28 from deep, which comes out to 35.7%.

Faster Offensive Start

Michigan State's Coen Carr dunks against Colgate during the second half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State needs to get some more points on the scoreboard earlier in the game, too. Against Colgate, MSU only scored 13 points during the game's first 10 minutes. During the exhibition at No. 4 UConn, it only put up nine in the first 10. Those are 40-minute paces of only 52 and 36 points.

The Spartans' defense is certainly better than Southern's, but when Arkansas scores 109, the sense of urgency has to be there.

Michigan State's Jordan Scott, below, battles Colgate's Andrew Alekseyenko for the ball during the second half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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