3 Surprises from Michigan State's Basketball Season So Far
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Michigan State's start to the 2025-26 campaign seems to have caught some off guard. The Spartans were ranked 22nd nationally in the AP Poll before the season, had already risen to as high as seventh, and have settled in at No. 9 after suffering their first loss of the season to now-No. 3 Duke.
Tom Izzo's program is on pace to surpass preseason expectations for a second consecutive year, with last season's team winning the Big Ten and reaching the Elite Eight after being left off the preseason rankings. These three reasons are a part of the reason why the Spartans are doing better than they were billed before their first game.
Fears' Massive Leap
Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was already a quality point guard during his redshirt freshman season last year. He had already become a great passer, an annoyance for opponents on defense, and had already cemented himself as a great leader.
MSU was going to need even more from Fears with the exits of Jase Richardson and Jaden Akins --- two of the biggest scorers and ball-handlers on last year's team --- and Fears has provided that and then some. Nearly every aspect of his game has improved this season --- shooting, defense, passing --- which is evident in the stats.
Facilitating his teammates was always Fears' best trait, but it's reached another level this year. He's averaging 9.8 assists per game so far; second place is Purdue's Braden Smith, a full assist per game behind, at 8.8. Fears averaged 5.4 assists per game last year.
The other crazy part is that it hasn't come with an uptick in turnovers; Fears averaged 2.0 giveaways last year, and is at 2.1 per contest so far.
Kohler's Three-Point Shooting
Big man Jaxon Kohler being MSU's best three-point shooter so far is definitely a bit unexpected. Kohler added the ability to shoot the three to his game last season after hitting zero threes during his first two seasons at Michigan State, but he only attempted one or two threes per contest and hit 19 across the Spartans' 37-game season.
This year, Kohler has already made 16 and is currently making more threes per game (1.8) than he tried per contest last year (1.4). It's felt like every time Kohler has had an open catch-and-shoot look from the left wing, he's made it; his total percentage is 47.1%. Trey Fort and Kur Teng are tied for second for the most made long balls on the team at just nine.
Roles Quickly Carved for Scott, Ward
Both of Michigan State's true freshmen look like absolute hits, too. Cam Ward is one of the main reasons the Spartans beat Arkansas on Nov. 8, and Jordan Scott has played like somebody who deserves to be a central part of MSU's rotation.
Ward and Scott are both unpolished, as most freshmen are, but what stands out is the high level of effort they both play with. Getting dirty, diving for loose balls, hustling, and showing some physicality on the boards is not an issue for either of them. Those are the types of things Izzo looks for, and that's why they'll both continue to get real minutes moving forward.
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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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