The 2025–26 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were led by 31st-year head coach Tom Izzo and played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season 27–8, 15–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to UCLA in the quarterfinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the 28th consecutive tournament, the longest current streak in the country. MSU defeated North Dakota State and Louisville to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for 23rd time in school history and the 17th time under Tom Izzo. There they lost to No 2-seeded and eventual national runners-up UConn.
With a win over USC on January 5, 2026, Tom Izzo earned his 750th career victory.
With 13 assists in a loss to UCLA on March 13, Jeremy Fears Jr. surpassed Cassius Winston for the most assists by a Spartan in a season. Fears added 16 assists in the second game of the NCAA tournament, setting a record for most assists by a Spartan in a tournament game.
Fears was named to several All-American teams.
Previous season The Spartans finished the 2024–25 season 30–7, 17–3 in Big Ten play to win the regular season championship by three games. They defeated Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Wisconsin. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region for the 27th consecutive tournament, the nation's longest active streak. They defeated Bryant in the first round and New Mexico in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. It marked the 16th Sweet Sixteen appearance under Izzo and the school's 22nd overall. MSU defeated Ole Miss to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to overall No. 1 seed Auburn.
The Big Ten named Tom Izzo the conference's coach of the year for the fourth time. Freshman Jase Richardson was selected to the All-Big Ten third team and the All-Freshman team. Jaden Akins was named to the All-Defensive team and the coaches' third team. Associate head coach Doug Wojcik was named the Howard Moore assistant coach of the year.
The Spartans were led by Akins with 12.8 points per game and Richardson with 12.1 points per game. Jeremy Fears Jr. averaged 4.4 assists per game while Jaxon Kohler averaged 7.5 rebounds.
Offseason Departures On April 1, 2025, it was announced that forward Xavier Booker and guards Tre Holloman and Gehrig Norman had entered the transfer portal. On April 8, freshman guard Jase Richardson announced he would enter the NBA draft. On April 4, Booker announced he was transferring to UCLA. On April 11, Holloman announced he would play for NC State. Normand announced he would transfer to Santa Clara on April 20. DeparturesNameNo.Pos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotesJaden Akins3G6'4"195SrFarmington, MIGraduatedXavier Booker34F6'11"240SOIndianapolis, INTransferred to UCLAFrankie Fidler8G6'7"217SrBellevue, NEGraduatedTre Holloman5G6'2"185JRSt. Paul, MNTransferred to NC StateGehrig Normand7G6'5"190RS FRNorth Richland Hills, TXTransferred to Santa ClaraJase Richardson11G6'3"185FrLas Vegas, NVSelected 25th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando MagicSzymon Zapala10C7'0"245SrZaborze, PolandGraduated
Incoming transfers On April 10, 2025, Florida Atlantic forward Kaleb Glenn announced he would transfer to Michigan State. On April 18, Samford guard Trey Fort announced he would also transfer to Michigan State. On May 10, Harvard guard and son of associate head coach Doug Wojcik, Denham Wojcik, announced he would transfer to MSU for his senior season. On May 18, point guard Divine Ugochukwu announced he would transfer from Miami to play with the Spartans. TransfersNameNo.Pos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious schoolTrey Fort9G6'4"200SrFlorence, MSSamfordKaleb Glenn8F6'6"210JrLa Porte, INFlorida AtlanticDivine Ugochukwu99G6'3"190SoSugar Land, TXMiamiDenham Wojcik10G6'2"190SrCharleston, SCHarvard
Recruiting class On October 10, 2024, MSU received its first commit in the 2025 recruiting class when four-star small forward Jordan Scott announced he would play for the Spartans in 2025. On October 20, four-star power forward Cam Ward announced he would also play for Michigan State in 2025.
Injuries On June 18, 2025, it was announced that transfer Kaleb Glenn had suffered a knee injury and would miss the upcoming season.
Preseason
Captains On September 22, 2025, prior to the team's first official practice, Tom Izzo announced that Coen Carr, Carson Cooper, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Jaxon Kohler had been named the team's captains for the season.
Preseason Big Ten poll Michigan State was picked to finish in sixth place in the conference by an annual, unofficial preseason poll of basketball writers. No Spartan was named to the conference's preseason All-Big Ten team.
Preseason rankings The Spartans were ranked 22nd in the preseason AP poll. MSU was ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll.
Exhibition games The Spartans played their first exhibition game on October 23, 2025 against Bowling Green at Breslin Center. Coen Carr led the Spartans with 17 points and added five rebounds and five blocks. Jaxon Kohler notched 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Spartans led by nine at the half, but the Falcons tied the game at 57 halfway through the second half. Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 12 points and had a game-high nine assists as the Spartans pulled away for a 75–66 win. Tom Izzo was not happy with MSU's poor play defensively despite the win.
In the final exhibition game played on October 28, the Spartans traveled to face No. 4-ranked UConn in Hartford. The Spartans fell behind early, failing to make a two-point basket until less than eight minutes were left in the half. They trailed 44–33 at the half. They fell behind by as many as 19 in the second half, but also drew to within eight with 13:17 to play. Jeremy Fears Jr. led the Spartans with 14 points and had six assists, but also committed six turnovers. Carson Cooper scored 12 while Coen Carr scored 11. The Spartans missed 15 free throws in the game as they lost 76–69. The Huskies had three players commit five or more fouls, but those players continued to play in the exhibition game.
Regular season
Colgate The Spartans began the regular season against Colgate on November 3 at Breslin Center. MSU failed to take control of the game early, struggling defensively and leading by only three at halftime. In the second half, the Raiders tied the game twice before the Spartans used a 21–6 run to pull away for the 80–69 win. Jaxon Kohler notched a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds while Jeremy Fears Jr. also had a double-double, 14 points and 10 assists. Fears added five rebounds and five steals in the win. The Spartans moved to 1–0 on the season. Tom Izzo was disappointed with the performance noting, "So a lot of work to do or we're going to get our ass embarrassed on Saturday."
Arkansas The Spartans next faced No. 14 Arkansas on November 8 in East Lansing. The Spartans shot poorly from three, making only one of 14 attempts, but freshman Cam Ward had a breakout game, scoring 18 points and adding 10 rebounds. Coen Carr scored 15 on several dunks, mostly in the first half. The Spartans trailed by three at halftime but pulled out to an eight-point lead with seven minutes remaining. From there, the Razorback went on a 13–5 to run to tie the game at 66 with 1:41 left. After a Carson Cooper free throw, Jeremy Fears Jr. got his defender in the air to force a foul while behind the three-point arc. Fears made two of the free throws to stretch the lead to three. Jordan Scott missed two free throws with 15 seconds remaining that would have put the game away, but MSU's defense did not allow an easy shot as they held on for the 69–66 win. Fears went 0–7 from the field as MSU only made one three-pointer. Jaxon Kohler was the only other Spartan in double digits with 10 points. The win moved MSU to 2–0 on the season.
San Jose State MSU next played the Spartans of San Jose State on November 13. MSU started well, jumping out to a 16–2 lead and dominating the first half. Michigan State led 46–23 at the half. In the second half, SJSU narrowed the lead, but was never able to get to single digits. Carson Cooper scored a career-high 17 points, but missed five free throws. Jaxon Kohler notched another double-double with 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 15 for the Spartans with nine assists to help the Spartans pull away for a 79–60 win. Tom Izzo was not happy with his team's performance after the game as the Spartans moved to 3–0 on the season.
Kentucky The Spartans travelled to face No. 12-ranked Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 18. MSU fell behind early, trailing 15–12 six minutes into the game. However, the Spartans, who entered the game making only 21.7% of their three-pointers, went off from three-point land, making 11 of 22 threes in the game and leading by 17 at the half. In the second half, Kentucky got as close as 10, but the Spartans answered and led by as many as 21 as they routed the Wildcats 83–66. Jaxon Kohler led the Spartans with 20 points including making both of his three-point attempts. Jeremy Fears Jr. took only three shots, but scored eight points and handed out a career-high 13 assists in the win. Kur Teng had a career-high 15 points off the bench as Trey Fort added 13 in the win. The win was the second against a ranked team on the season and pushed MSU to 4–0 to start the season.
Detroit Mercy The team returned home to face Detroit Mercy, coached by former MSU assistant coach Mark Montgomery, on November 21. The Spartans led from the outset, easily defeating the Titans 84–56. Jeremy Fears Jr. scored a career-high 18 points while dishing out 11 assists. Four Spartans scored in double figures in the easy win. The win moved MSU to 5–0 on the season, their first 5–0 start to a season since 2020.
Fort Myers Tip-Off The Spartans next travelled to Fort Myers, Florida to participate in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, an un-bracketed multiteam event.
East Carolina In the first game of the Tip-Off, MSU played East Carolina on November 25. The Pirates tied the game at nine with a little more than 13 minutes left in the half. However, the Spartans dominated the game from there, going on a 14–2 run to put the game away. MSU led 47–24 at the half. In the second half, MSU used a 23–1 run to cruise to an 89–56 win. Jaxon Kohler made all six shots he took, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Divine Ugochukwu scored a career-high 16 while missing only one shot. Jeremy Fears Jr. had nine assists while Coen Carr added 13 points in the blowout win. The win moved MSU to 6–0 on the season.
North Carolina The Spartans next faced No. 16-ranked North Carolina on Thanksgiving Day in the final game of the Tip-Off. The game remained close until the Tarheels went on a 7–0 run to take a 22–15 lead with 7:42 left in the first half. From there, the Spartans went on a 16–5 run to take a five-point led at halftime. In the second half, MSU held the lead throughout, pushing the lead to double digits and winning easily 74–58. Jeremy Fears Jr. had a career-high 19 points with seven assists. Carson Cooper scored 13 while Cam Ward added 11 in the win. Jaxon Kohler notched another double double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Spartans shot 52% from the field while limiting UNC to only 38%. The win moved MSU to 7–0 to start the season, their best start since 2015.
Iowa