Tom Izzo and No. 9 Michigan State basketball have one final nonconference game against Cornell on Monday, Dec. 29, before Big Ten play resumes.
EAST LANSING – Jaxon Kohler begrudgingly avoided Christmas desserts last week. He mostly stuck to eating meat and potatoes for his holiday meals.
The veteran knows what Michigan State basketball wants to achieve in 2026 will require significant discipline. And a bit of rest before resuming that quest to repeat as Big Ten champions.
“Lately, it’s just been everything basketball. No distractions. And it gets really taxing sometimes, not only physically but mentally,” senior captain Kohler said after practice Saturday, Dec. 27. “But that’s what it takes to be a good team, a great team.”
The ninth-ranked Spartans (11-1) get back to business Monday when they host Cornell (6-5) in their final nonconference game of the season. Here is what to watch with the 7 p.m. tipoff at Breslin Center (FS1).
Rest and recovery
After beating Oakland 79-70 on Dec. 20 in Detroit, the Spartans dispersed for a holiday away from each other. MSU coach Tom Izzo’s early gifts included wins over Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, along with a pair of Big Ten wins at Penn State and at home over Iowa.
The Spartans reunited Friday, and they were able to get in multiple practices a day to ramp back up for Monday’s final game of 2025. It also was an opportunity for Izzo to get them playing better than he felt they were in the past five games despite going 4-1.
“And yet we found ways to win games, which is important …,” Izzo said after Saturday’s first of two sessions. “We have to do a better job, and that was the message. ‘You put yourself in a position now where you have a chance to be 12-1; if you’re 12-1, it would be one of the great starts in the history of the program. That’s one thing you can accomplish.’”
The time off allowed Cam Ward to let his right wrist heal, though he has only missed one game while playing through the injury he suffered against the Tar Heels on Nov. 27. The freshman forward is on to his third different brace, this one lighter and more flexible, and hopes to shed it entirely by the end of January.
Ward said this is the most significant and longest-lasting injury he has dealt with in his basketball career.
“Nothing that’s ever hindered me or kept me out this long,” he said after Saturday’s practice. “It’s definitely been a struggle as far as mentally to stay positive and really focus on what I’ve got going on. But other than that, I’ve just been positive and thankful that I’m still able to play, honestly.
“Some people could be out for the season. That was really a real possibility when we went to see (the doctor). But the fact that we’ve made progress and everything else, I’m very excited to keep playing.”
Since the injury, Ward is averaging just 1.8 points and 2.5 rebounds while making only 3 of 10 shots and 1 of 4 at the free-throw line in his past four games (he sat out MSU’s win over Iowa). Prior to the injury, including the UNC win, Ward posted 7.3 points and 5.1 boards a game and was making 61.4% of his shots, though he was just 9-for-19 at the line.
“Before the wrist (injury), he was a dog,” Kohler said of Ward. “He was yelling, he was cheering. He kind of had that dog mentality. And I’m only saying this because we all love him – he needs to get that back. He needs to have that confidence, that dog in him back. Because I feel like that was one of his strongest assets before the wrist.”
‘D’ the 3
Izzo has a two-item holiday wish list remaining as the grind of Big Ten play approaches, including improving MSU’s transition offense, which is down to 44th in the nation at 15.92 points per game on the break. His other major and more pressing concern is a recent downturn in 3-point defense.
The Spartans held their first nine opponents to 33.7% from behind the arc. MSU's last three opponents are making 41.3% from deep, including 10 makes apiece for Penn State and Toledo. Izzo’s worry is magnified going into Monday, with the Big Red leading the nation at 14.2 triples made per game and the fifth-best 3-point shooting percentage (41.6%) while averaging the seventh-most deep attempts per game in Division I (34.1).
“They’re not just shooting them, they’re making them,” Izzo said. “When you make 14 3s a game, that creates problems for you. I didn’t think our 3-point defense was very good against Oakland, and I didn’t think it’s been as good lately. I just didn’t think we were as aggressive as we need to be. And some of that starts with our experienced guys.”
Izzo credited Kohler’s offense (team-high 13.9 points and 10.3 rebounds) and Carson Cooper’s defense (10.5 points/7.0 rebounds) for their steadiness. He also said both third-year sophomore point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (10.8 points/9.2 assists) and junior swingman Coen Carr (11.6 points/4.9 rebounds) need to produce at a more consistent clip than they have in recent weeks.
Big Ten play resumes Jan. 2 at Nebraska (9 p.m./Peacock).
“Every Big Ten team is physical and gritty. And they play the hardest especially when they play against us,” Kohler said. “Every game for us, they’re gonna bring their best game because we’re Michigan State, it’s coach Izzo, it’s us – we won the league last year. … And that’s something the freshmen and the new transfer guys have to understand. There’s no nights off.”
One player who won’t help this season, Kaleb Glenn, continues to impress Izzo during his rehab from a right knee injury that required surgery. The Florida Atlantic/Louisville transfer is going through drills during practice, appearing to cut at full speed and able to dunk again, but the 6-7 swingman has not yet progressed to 5-on-5 work.
Izzo said he believes the junior could be able to do that by the end of January. But Izzo added there is zero chance for Glenn to join MSU’s playing group, saying it could have been a possibility if Glenn was full-go in December. He will be available to help prepare the Spartans as part of their scout team once he’s fully cleared.
“We’re not gonna take any chances with him,” Izzo said. “I think he’s got a chance to be too good of a player, No. 1, and (have) too good of a career. That would be selfish on my part.”
Cornell update
Thanks to their proficient outside shooting prowess, the Big Red average 90.4 points a game to rank 16th in Division I. However, Cornell’s defense ranks 346th out of 361 teams in giving up 84.8 points a game and 333rd in allowing opponents to hit 37.1% from 3-point range.
The Big Red, coming off an 83-75 road win at Albany on Dec. 21, also have yet to play a power-conference opponent. Their lone common opponent with the Spartans is Colgate, which Cornell defeated 95-94 in two overtimes on Nov. 20. MSU opened its season with an 80-69 victory over the Raiders.
Cooper Noard, a 6-2 senior guard, leads the Big Red at 20.6 points a game. Two other 6-4 senior guards, Jake Fiegen (14.3) and Adam Hinton (14.0) are Cornell’s other double-digit scorers. All three are making 41% or better from 3-point range as Cornell has two others – DJ Nix (42.9%) and Corbin Zentner (46.7%) – who have combined for 29 makes from beyond the arc.
Prediction
The Spartans pester the Big Red along the 3-point stripe defensively, using their length and athletic advantage to keep the percentage down. Cornell makes enough to keep things interesting into the second half, but Fears takes control of the tempo and helps MSU run away with its transition offense. The pick: MSU 89, Cornell 71.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball back to business, with Big Ten play looming
Category: General Sports
