Nov 13, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) drives past San Jose State Spartans guard Ben Roseborough (11) during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
EAST LANSING ~ Michigan State stayed unbeaten with a convincing 79-60 win over San Jose State at the Breslin Center, leaning on its size and depth to control the game. The Spartans jumped out to a 19-3 lead and never looked back, fueled by dominant frontcourt play. Jaxon Kohler posted 17 points and 18 rebounds, while Carson Cooper added 17 points and seven boards. Jeremy Fears Jr. ran the show with 15 points and nine assists, helping MSU rack up 25 assists on 28 made shots. Despite hitting just 6-of-25 from 3-point range, the Spartans controlled the glass (45-26) and outscored San Jose State 34-20 in the paint.
Leadership was a theme after the game, as junior forward Coen Carr reflected on his role in maintaining intensity. “Shout out to the people who know I messed up, I messed up, and just move on. That’s what I’m trying to do as a leader, just let my teammates pick me up,” he said. He admitted the team eased up after halftime: “Izzo just said we can’t let our foot up off the gas. And I feel like I was a part of that. I started that. So I just got to take it upon myself to not do that anymore.”
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(CONTINUED) Asked about Tom Izzo’s approach this season, Carr said, “I think we got a lot of guys coming into new roles, so he’s just trying to make sure we’re doing what we need to do and never take anything for granted.” He pointed to missed assignments as the next step: “It’s just the little stuff, things on the scouting report we shouldn’t be messing up. We just got to emphasize that even more.” Those small lapses will be a focus as MSU prepares for tougher tests, especially against elite competition.
With the Champions Classic looming, the mindset is clear: “Defense, that’s the main thing,” Carr said. “We got to bear down on defense and just be confident in ourselves and in our shots.” MSU missed several open looks against San Jose State, but the team believes those will fall. As for defensive lapses, he explained: “We were over-helping a little bit too much. It’s easy to fix, you just have to have the discipline to fix it.” That discipline will be tested Tuesday in New York against No. 9 Kentucky.
