5 Best Moments of Latest MSU Basketball Season
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Another Michigan State basketball season is in the books.
The Spartans ended up performing above expectations again. MSU was ranked 22nd in the preseason AP Poll, but finished tied for second in the regular-season Big Ten standings and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Here are five moments that stand out from the year:
5. Early Win vs. Arkansas
One of the early-season tone-setters was that victory over Arkansas during the second official game of the season. Tom Izzo loves making his non-conference schedules difficult, and scheduling John Calipari's Razorbacks was one example of this. Freshman Cam Ward had his best game of the season during this one, going for 18 points and 10 rebounds in the 69-66 victory.
Interestingly enough, Arkansas will be coming back to Michigan next season. Izzo announced on Tuesday that the Razorbacks and the Spartans would face off again on Thanksgiving at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, rather than playing the return game in Fayetteville as expected.
4. Izzo Makes 17th Sweet 16
People are grappling for another Final Four or a second national title for Izzo, but making the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is still a big deal. Izzo did that for the 17th time in his career this year.
Excluding the 2019-20 season, which had no tournament (leaving a very, very good MSU team out to dry), that means Izzo has reached the Sweet Sixteen 56.7% of the time as the Spartans' head coach. Across his 28-season streak of making the tournament, that means he's winning at least two games 60.7% of the time.
3. Fears Surpasses Winston
Another big storyline from this season has been the disturbing power Jeremy Fears Jr. has exhibited game after game. Fears averaged 9.4 assists per game, totaling 328 assists on the season. That surpassed program legend Cassius Winston for the single-season assist record, breezing past Winston's 291 during the 2018-19 season.
Fears also had the second-most assists in a season in Big Ten history, only falling behind Purdue's Braden Smith. He had 345 this season, but was short of Fears on a per-game basis, since the Boilermakers played four more games.
2. OT Win vs. Illinois
One of the most dramatic games this year was the game against Illinois. The Fighting Illini were ranked fifth at the time and had won 12 in a row. Michigan State had lost two in a row entering this game, falling to Michigan at home and then suffering its most perplexing loss of the season at Minnesota.
Kur Teng delivered during a big moment in this game, hitting a go-ahead three with less than 10 seconds left. Illinois was able to force overtime with a pair of free throws, but then Fears took over in the additional period, matching the Illini's output by himself by scoring 11 points during a major 85-82 win that only looks better now with Illinois in the Final Four.
1. Dramatic Win at Purdue
Illinois may be the best team that MSU beat this season, but there is something extra about beating Purdue at Mackey Arena. From my own experience, it's the only building in the Big Ten I'd feel truly comfortable ranking above the Breslin Center in terms of atmosphere.
The Spartans hadn't won in West Lafayette in a dozen years, losing seven straight to Purdue and even having an NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA in 2021. That 76-74 victory is still the most surprising win of the season for Michigan State, and the long drought at Mackey makes it the top moment of the year for me.
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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