Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo shoots to surpass modest expectations again in his 31st season in charge

Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo shoots to surpass modest expectations again in his 31st season in charge | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

No. 22 Michigan State (30-7, 17-3 Big Ten)

The Spartans are coming off a surprising season, winning the conference by three games and reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. They will shoot to do it again under Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo in his 31st season. Michigan State is the fifth-highest ranked Big Ten team in the AP Top 25, modest expectations for a team that lost several players from last year.

Players to watch

Coen Carr is one of the best athletes in basketball. Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., a redshirt sophomore, and senior big men Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper have a lot of experience. Sophomore guard Kur Teng is a pivotal player because of his 3-point shooting.

Departures and arrivals

Guards Trey Fort (Samford), Divine Ugochukwu (Miami) and Denham Wojcik (Harvard) were added from the portal. The 6-foot-4 Fort averaged 14.6 points last season as a second-team All-Southern Conference player. Highly touted freshmen Jordan Scott and Cam Ward are expected to be in the rotation. A lot was last from last year’s team, including Jase Richardson, who entered the draft. Three players transferred (Tre Holloman, Xavier Booker and Gehrig Normand) and three key players (Jaden Akins, Szymon Zapala and Frankie Fidler) were out of eligibility. Transfer Kaleb Glenn, who played at Florida Atlantic last season, had a season-ending knee injury.

Top games

The Spartans open against Colgate at home Monday. Home games also include No. 14 Arkansas (Nov. 8), No. 6 Duke (Dec. 6), No. 7 Michigan (Jan. 30), No. 17 Illinois (Feb. 7) and No. 12 UCLA (Feb. 17). They play on the road against No. 24 Wisconsin (Feb. 13), No. 1 Purdue (Feb. 26) and the rival Wolverines (March 8) to close the regular season. No. 9 Kentucky (Nov. 18) in New York and No. 25 North Carolina (Nov. 27) in Fort Myers, Florida, are neutral-site games.

Facts and figures

Michigan State was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten last year and went on to win the conference for an 11th time under Izzo, whose team reached the Elite Eight for the 11th time. … The Spartans have played in 27 straight NCAA Tournaments, tied with North Carolina (1975-2001) for the second longest behind Kansas’ active run of 35 in a row.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo shoots to surpass modest expectations again in his 31st season in charge | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr., left, reaches against Bowling Green guard Javontae Campbell during the second half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo shoots to surpass modest expectations again in his 31st season in charge | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan State forward Cam Ward (3), left, shoots against Bowling Green forward Troy Glover II (16) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo shoots to surpass modest expectations again in his 31st season in charge | iNFOnews.ca
Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler (0), left, and Bowling Green forward Camden Karel, right, reach for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball exhibition game, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles