What UConn Said About MSU Before Sweet 16 Duel
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WASHINGTON, D.C. --- These two rosters have seen one another already. Much has changed since then, though.
Friday night will mark 150 days since Michigan State played an exhibition at UConn on Oct. 28, which was the final live action both teams experienced before the regular season began. Now, both teams will put their seasons on the line during the Sweet Sixteen. Tip-off is set for about 9:45 p.m. ET (or 30 minutes after Duke-St. John's) on CBS.
"Doing the exhibition, there's no greater test than playing Michigan State or a Tom Izzo-coached team, or this group of just incredible players they've got, the men they've got on their team," Huskies coach Dan Hurley said on Thursday. "We were very intentional about trying to schedule them for that game right before the opener so we could really identify our vulnerabilities."
UConn won that exhibition, 76-69. Hurley's point was right, though, about that game helping prepare their teams for the beginning of the year. Both teams played tough non-conference schedules, but that didn't stop MSU from starting 19-2 and UConn from starting 22-1. The Spartans are 27-7 entering Friday, while the Huskies are 31-5.
Improvements From October
One thing that both teams are saying is that each team looks a lot better than they did back in October. In-season improvement is the expectation at both of these schools, after all. That's how Hurley has won two national titles and how Izzo has made the NCAA Tournament 28 times in a row. Even though UConn beat MSU in that game, Hurley pointed to multiple specific places where his team fell short.
"I think we gave up six or seven free-throw rebounds in that game," Hurley said. "Our transition defense was a joke. We got assaulted on the glass. There was a lot there in that game that we were able to show the guys this week when we got manhandled. We're a much different team; they're a much different team. Certainly, it helped us both get ready for November and December, because we're obviously two of the best teams in the country."
Hurley's players echoed that sentiment for both sides.
"They're so different from October to March, just like we are, how much better they've gotten," redshirt senior Alex Karaban said. "I mean, their freshmen have gotten so much better. Everybody on their roster has been playing better than obviously they have been in October. I think you just remember the physicality and the pace they play at."
One critical piece of this game will also be on the glass. The Spartans rank fourth nationally in average rebound margin (plus-11.4). Connecticut is 27th at plus-6.2, but features Tarris Reed Jr., who has averaged 13.6 rebounds per game during postseason play.
"It's going to be a challenge on both sides of the glass," Reed said. "We're going to challenge them. They're going to challenge us. They're going to really set the tone early. The game is going to be won on the boards and the defensive end. Whoever gets the most rebounds, stops the other team, and turns the ball over less is going to win the game."
Opponents are always worried about the fastbreak, too. With Coen Carr threatening to detonate on the rim at any given moment and Jeremy Fears Jr. constantly pushing the pace, who wouldn't? Michigan State's 15.9 fastbreak points per game ranks 13th in the nation and is second among Sweet Sixteen teams (Arkansas, 19.0).
"We've always got to dictate how we play," Karaban said. "Just the pace that we play at, making sure our defense is set, communicating after a made basket. No celebrating, just got to sprint back. Even after a missed basket, too, just communicate, just match up. It's really just mainly communication, communicating to each other, knowing who we're guarding, the personnel. They're one of the fastest teams in the country, and we've just got to be ready for that."
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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