Michigan State Dominates East Carolina in All-Around Performance

The Michigan State fans who had work and decided to focus on work, rather than peek at the basketball game against East Carolina, missed a high-quality performance. The 11th-ranked Spartans quickly sank the Pirates, cruising to an 89-56 victory on Tuesday afternoon.

Lots of things went right for MSU, but the three-point shooting is the most encouraging development. The Spartans hit 13 threes against ECU, the most Michigan State has made in one game since it made the same amount against Kansas State during the Sweet 16 in 2023.

Nov 25, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Trey Fort (9) blocks the shot from East Carolina Pirates guard Jordan Riley (12) in the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

MSU improved to 6-0 on the season with the victory. ECU fell to 2-4 overall.

Next up for Michigan State is another big-time showdown against 16th-ranked North Carolina on Thanksgiving. That game will also be in Fort Myers, Fla., and is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX that day.

First Half

Nov 25, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler (0) reacts after a basket against the East Carolina Pirates in the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Spartans completely dominated the opening 20 minutes. After it was a 9-9 tie six and a half minutes into the game, Michigan State ended the first half on an extended 38-15 run to enter the break with a 47-24 lead.

MSU did a lot of it by raining threes at a rate a la the Kentucky game, going 8-for-15 from deep. Sophomore guard Divine Ugochukwu and senior forward Jaxon Kohler both hit two apiece. The Spartans entered Tuesday shooting just 29.4% from three-point range on the season.

What may have been even better was the defense; 24 points allowed in a half is always a great pace. The offense was actually kind of sloppy with the ball at first, but East Carolina may have been even more so — the Pirates committed 13 turnovers during the first half to MSU’s eight. Points off turnovers aren’t necessarily a great stat in basketball, but that was 16-6 in the favor of the Spartans.

A good look for East Carolina just seemed rare for it throughout the opening half. It had made eight field goals on 26 attempts when the buzzer sounded, shooting just 30.8% overall. That was despite the fact that the Pirates went 4-for-10 from three, which means they only made a quarter of their two-point attempts (4-of-16).

Second Half

Nov 25, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; East Carolina Pirates guard Corey Caulker (5) passes the ball guarded by Michigan State Spartans guard Kur Teng (2) in the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The rest of the game was just more lead-up to the inevitable: a Michigan State win. ECU’s previous five scores had looked pretty awful, to be frank. The Pirates’ two victories came by three against Georgia Southern and by one against a Division II school. All three losses were by double figures against other mid-majors. Not exactly a team that matched up well to Michigan State.

That rough 2:1 ratio of MSU points to East Carolina’s continued for a bit. At the first media timeout of the second half, which was just more than five minutes in, Michigan State had a 61-30 lead and the small, but pro-Spartan crowd was feeling it after one of Coen Carr’s signature alley-oop dunks.

A 31-point lead would normally be enough to lay off the gas pedal a bit, but the Spartans actually pressed down harder. After East Carolina dared to make a free throw that made it 63-31, MSU rattled off 10 straight points, part of a 21-1 run that spanned roughly six minutes. There was a span where the Pirates went nearly 11 minutes between made baskets; 10:58, to be exact.

Michigan State led by as much as 43 points with 9:24 to go, but it finally eased up down the stretch a bit. It ended up being a 33-point Spartan victory, which certainly still seems satisfactory.

Top Performers

Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) defends an inbounds pass during a game against the Detroit Mercy Titans at the Breslin Center on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Jaxon Kohler: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals | 6-for-6 FGs, 4-for-4 threes

Divine Ugochukwu: 16 points, 2 assists, 2 steals | 6-for-7 FGs, 3-for-4 threes

Coen Carr: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals | 5-for-11 FGs

Nov 25, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; East Carolina Pirates guard Jordan Riley (12) shoots the ball against the Michigan State Spartans in the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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