Top Cornell Players Michigan State Hoops Will Focus On
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Michigan State's Christmas break and non-conference schedule is nearing completion.
The last team outside the Big Ten that the ninth-ranked Spartans (11-1 overall) will face during the regular season is Cornell (6-5) on Monday (7 p.m. ET, FS1). MSU has a 5-1 all-time record against the Big Red, with this next game being the first meeting since Nov. 24, 2000.
What stands out about the Big Red on paper is that they score a lot of points, but they also allow a lot of points. As of Friday, Cornell is 16th in scoring offense, but 346th in scoring defense. The Big Red average 90.4 points per game, but allow 84.8 points on the other end. They also make the most three-pointers per game in the country (14.2).
These three players are the biggest threats that Michigan State must be ready for.
Cooper Noard
The star player for Cornell is senior guard Cooper Noard. He's spent his entire career with the Big Red, and his scoring output has steadily increased every season. It's the type of run MSU head coach Tom Izzo would admire.
Noard averages 20.6 points per game, putting him 24th nationally in scoring. He's shooting 52.8% from the field and 41.0% from three. Guarding him will be a major challenge for MSU, since completely taking away the three-ball allows him to drive inside, where he is just as much of a threat --- Noard is making 68.9% of his twos so far.
Adam Hinton
Another big-time shooting threat is guard Adam Hinton, who has also spent all four years of his career at Cornell. Hinton had not played very much across his first three seasons with the team, but has taken advantage of his opportunities as a starter this year.
Hinton is averaging 14.0 points per game. He doesn't shoot as much as Noard does from three, but he is lethal when he does let it go, making 46.7% of his three-point attempts this season. He has not been as good inside the arc as Noard, either, so staying sticky to Hinton on the perimeter will be key.
Jake Fiegen
Cornell's third and final player who averages double figures is Jake Fiegen. He missed the Big Red's first four games of the year, but has averaged 14.3 points per game since his return.
You'll also never believe this (massive amounts of sarcasm), but Fiegen is another elite three-point shooter, too. He's made 45.9% of his tries from downtown this season. Everyone at Cornell can shoot it extremely well, for the most part. The five players on the roster with the most three-point attempts are all shooting above 40%.
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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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