Tom Izzo didn’t know what he had in a new-look Michigan State squad last November.
The Spartans were juggling a lot of moving pieces ahead of being tested by a deep Maui Invitational field. They posted a 2-1 record on the trip and took third place by beating North Carolina in overtime.
That was an early look at the potential for a squad that would go on to win the Big Ten by three games before reaching the Elite Eight in one of Izzo’s best coaching jobs.
This Michigan State squad is also working through major lineup changes that will be tested in another Thanksgiving tournament. Unlike last year, this isn’t an unranked team going on the road and not a single time zone will be crossed.
The Spartans (5-0) shot up to No. 11 in the latest AP Top 25 released Monday ahead of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. They will play East Carolina (2-3) on Tuesday (1 p.m., FS2) before taking on No. 16 North Carolina (5-0) on Thursday (4:30 p.m., FOX) in the championship game.
Michigan State traveled to Florida on Sunday ahead of the tournament, which will be played at Suncoast Credit Union Arena – capacity of 3,500 – on Florida SouthWestern State College’s campus. The Spartans are making their debut in the event, which was won by rival Michigan last year.
Unlike the trip to Maui in 2024, Michigan State already has a pair of top-25 wins on its resume by edging Arkansas in East Lansing before thumping Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden last week. The Spartans moved to 5-0 for the first time in five years with a blowout win against Detroit Mercy on Friday.
“We’re still not consistent enough for me. … I just didn’t think we played as good as we can play so we’ll get better,” Izzo said after beating the Titans.
After dominating Kentucky in New York, Michigan State faced its first quick turnaround of the season. The Spartans led wire-to-wire against Detroit Mercy at the Breslin Center with a few speedbumps.
Michigan State -20 point spread is -104 on FanDuel for Tuesday’s game versus Eastern Carolina. Our FanDuel Sportsbook review provides an in-depth guide on how to navigate through their site.
Michigan State continues to rely heavily on its four veteran co-captains in point guard Jeremy Fears, wing Coen Carr and bigs Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. Fears is the unquestioned leader while averaging a double-double with 11.8 points and a nation-leading 10.4 assists per game.
That part of the backcourt was solidified well in advance of this season while the other half remains in flux with sophomore Kur Teng and graduate transfer Trey Fort the top two in the mix. Both played well in New York while combining to knock down 11 of 24 shots, including 6-for-15 from 3-point range, for 28 points. Three days later, those totals dropped to 2-for-11 and 1-for-7 for 7 points.
“That’s disappointing and yet, whether you believe this or not and most people don’t, I hardly said a word to one guy about a shot,” Izzo said. “I was more disappointed that our 2 guards didn’t guard anybody. I don’t put pressure on them about their shooting – that’s a myth – I put pressure on them on how hard they play, how hard they run, how much effort they give, how much passion they play with. Those are my stats.”
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