Talking Through Michigan State's Interesting Game vs. Toledo
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Time is running low for ninth-ranked Michigan State to figure out some of the issues it has.
The Spartans only have two more non-conference games before it's all Big Ten opponents until the NCAA Tournament. It's not actually the opener, but the long string of conference foes does not begin with an easy one, either; it's a trip out to face No. 15 Nebraska (currently 11-0) on the road.
Some of those issues were still visible during MSU's 92-69 win over Toledo on Tuesday night. Consistency at the two-guard spot still is not materializing, the Spartans are not playing full, 40-minute efforts at a high level yet, and there is the question of whether Michigan State can truly give Denham Wojcik meaningful minutes each game.
For this postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, we break down this latest result and try to figure out what it all means for the Spartans' season moving forward. Video of the entire episode can be viewed below.
Watch the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast below:
More Thoughts on Tuesday's Game
Much of the focus for the Spartans still has to be on who will be Jeremy Fears Jr.'s "Robin" in the Spartans' backcourt. Nobody has played well enough consistently to merit giving them the role full-time.
Tom Izzo has now given looks to Kur Teng, Trey Fort, and Divine Ugochukwu. All three players have had their moments or games, but it seems every time one appears to be rising, they fall. Ugochukwu is the latest example, scoring a career-high 23 points last Saturday against Penn State. He was barely visible on Tuesday, only attempting two shots and scoring two points with one rebound over 17 minutes. He was the only MSU player with a negative plus/minus.
This too has happened with Teng. He got slotted back into a starting role against Iowa, where he had a solid performance, scoring seven points on six shots and getting three rebounds. Against Duke, Teng did not score and missed several golden opportunities to do so.
Fort has started the most games at the two, but his minutes have been cut since he moved back to the bench during that Iowa game. He hasn't scored more than three points in four consecutive games, and he's played less than 10 minutes during MSU's last three contests. Fort's three-point shooting has been a disappointment. He shot 38.2% from deep at Samford last season, but is just at 27.8% at Michigan State so far.
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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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