MSU’s Ugochukwu to Miss Rest of Season with Foot Injury
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Michigan State basketball has suffered a brutal blow at a tough time on the injury front.
MSU guard Divine Ugochukwu is going to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury that he suffered in the first half of the 10th-ranked Spartans’ game against Minnesota on Wednesday, Tom Izzo announced on Friday.
Ugochukwu, a true sophomore who transferred in from Miami (FL) this past offseason, will conclude his first season in East Lansing with 22 appearances with 12 starts, averaging 5.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. His best game came at Penn State back on Dec. 13, helping save Michigan State from an upset by dropping 23 points while shooting 5-for-5 from deep.
This is the first major injury an MSU player has suffered mid-season. That excludes Florida Atlantic transfer Kaleb Glenn, who has been ruled out for the season since June with a knee injury. There have been some minor ones here and there, but the Spartans have seven players who have appeared in all 23 games so far.
More on Ugochukwu
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds on the Michigan State roster, Ugochukwu provides some pretty good length in MSU’s backcourt. His long arms and wingspan makes it easier for him to clog up passing lanes and serve as a reliable on-ball defender.
Ugochukwu’s biggest source of improvement from his freshman year with the Hurricanes to this season with the Spartans was his three-point shot. He only shot 6-of-34 (17.6%) from deep across his entire season at Miami in 2024-25. Ugochukwu went 19-for-43 (44.2%) this season in East Lansing.
His role at Michigan State has evolved a bit this season. Ugochukwu started out as the backup point guard for star Jeremy Fears Jr., but eventually started to start at the two after inconsistencies at that spot arose (they still haven’t gone away). Ugochukwu had shifted back to the bench on Wednesday in favor of Jordan Scott at the two.
Ugochukwu was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, finishing ranked 251st overall in the class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite. He chose Miami over opportunities from Texas A&M, SMU, Baylor, and several other mid-major programs.
Impact of Injury
With Ugochukwu officially unavailable, expect to see more Denham Wojcik in the rotation from here on. Wojcik had already seen meaningful minutes in the majority of MSU’s games this season, but he needs to be the one who can hold down the fort for a few minutes while Fears gets a few minutes of rest.
Trey Fort is another player who will likely see more time. The loss of Ugochukwu basically means the Spartans will have to give all of their top guards real minutes. He, Scott, and Kur Teng will probably all continue to play the two.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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