Early Thoughts on Michigan State-Arkansas Hoops Matchup
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Michigan State has a big challenge ahead of itself on Saturday night. The 22nd-ranked Spartans will go up against No. 14 Arkansas. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET on FOX.
The game will be the first time that MSU will host a non-conference opponent at the Breslin Center that is ranked in the AP Top 25 since it faced No. 10 Duke in December 2019.
The last time an SEC team played an official game in East Lansing was Florida in December 2015. A ranked team from the SEC hasn't entered the Breslin Center since the eighth-ranked Gators did so in December 2000.
On this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, let's break down this ranked-versus-ranked matchup, which players stand out for the Razorbacks, and the things MSU must do better than it did against Colgate on Monday.
Watch the MSU Spartans Insiders Podcast here:
Additionally, a transcript from head coach Tom Izzo's postgame press conference after the 80-69 victory against Colgate on Monday.
Tom Izzo
IZZO: Well, it's a win. That's about the only good thing I'll say about it.
I thought we didn't guard very well again. Although the second half, even though they [Colgate] shot 50%, I thought we guarded a lot better.
And this goes to show you how much analytics mean nothing. Jeremy [Fears Jr.], as our leader, he's got unbelievable stats. Four-for-10 [shooting], not great, 6-for-6 at the line, five rebounds, 14 points, 10 assists, one turnover, five steals. Those are unbelievable stats.
In the first half, he didn't lead our team to nothing, and he knows it. And in the second half, he did, and that was the big difference. But our best player is going to play well. He played pretty well.
Jaxon [Kohler's] stats are pretty good, but we didn't think he guarded very well. [Carson] Cooper. So I am calling the guys out, because seniors should be able to guard someone. And that was disappointing on a positive note. Jeremy's was positive.
Coen [Carr] came back in, a little bit of foul trouble, and played with some energy.
Freshman Jordan Scott maybe did the best job of anybody, keeping balls alive, playing hard. I thought he was phenomenal.
Our two guards right now, they're not making shots, they're not guarding anybody.
The reason we won the game is the offensive rebounds are at 19. We did get to the free throw line. We did not turn the ball over much. Those were all good things.
But second-chance points was 20 to 3. That was a big difference.
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Previous Episode - Glancing at the Final Stretch for MSU, Jonathan Smith
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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