EAST LANSING — If there’s one thing that remains constant in Tom Izzo’s scheme, among all of his signature principles, it’s that the Michigan State basketball team will step up defensively after a loss.
Everything Izzo wants from the offense always stems from how the Spartans perform on the other end of the court. On Monday, January 5, USC walked into the Breslin Center.
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Indeed, it was only fitting for Izzo to earn his 750th win in front of an alumni Izzone crowd filled with many who were there every step of the way as No. 13 Michigan State defeated the Trojans 80-51.
Michigan State’s Cohen Carr hits a jumper during the first half against USC on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
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Keon Carr shook off a slow, sloppy start to finish with 18 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten), who suffered their first conference loss on Friday with a 58-56 loss to Nebraska. Jeremy Fehr Jr. had 15 points and seven assists, and Jaxon Koehler’s streak of five consecutive double-doubles was ended, but the senior finished with 16 points and eight rebounds while hitting three three-pointers.
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Ezra Ausar had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Trojans (12-3, 1-3), which beat No. 1 Michigan 96-66 on Friday night. Jerry Easter II scored 12 points, but USC made just 3 of 17 3-pointers and the Spartans held their overall shooting to 32.7 percent.
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After missing Friday’s loss at Nebraska and depleting Izzo’s guard rotation, Divine Ugochukwu returned to start against the Trojans at MSU. After a brief stint on the bench, he quickly returned to point guard Fiers and helped spark a 13-2 offensive run as USC scored its first five points.
Carr dunked in transition for the Spartans’ first shot before the media timeout, when sophomore transfer Ugo Chukwu replaced Fiers in charge of the offense. After Kohler’s jumper, the combo guard threw an alley-oop pass to Carson Cooper. Kuerten scored and Cooper made two free throws to start a 10-0 run, in which Ugochukwu took charge of the offense and made eight consecutive free throws.
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With Fears back in the lineup, Michigan State ended the game on a 17-4 spurt. The third-year sophomore ignited the game with a pair of mid-range jumpers, then freshman Cam Ward made up for Fiers’ miss with a dunk. When Kohler hit consecutive three-pointers, the lead expanded to 27-11.
The Spartans’ defense did the rest, holding the Trojans to just 6-for-28 shooting from the field and 1-for-7 from 3-point range, offsetting their struggles from 3-for-11 shooting from deep. But Michigan State shot 11 of 21 from behind the arc and led 33-17 at halftime.
Izzo’s defense continued to suppress USC in the second half. The Trojans didn’t reach the 30-point mark until nearly 5 1/2 minutes into the half, and it took another 5 1/2 minutes to reach 40 points.
Meanwhile, fear remains strong. Although he missed three 3-pointers, he made 4 of 5 shots from behind the arc and scored 11 points on offense off the dribble. Fiers dished out four assists in the second half, one of which was a behind-the-back pass to Teng in a European step, who scored a layup after Fiers stole the ball.
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. smirks after scoring in the first half against USC on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
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It’s clear Izzo wants to keep Carr going after scoring two points on 1-of-5 shooting against Nebraska. But USC head coach Eric Musselman seemed ready when Carr drove to the basket on Michigan State’s first possession, was immediately whistled for a rushing attack, and then missed two 3-pointers as the Trojans’ defenders stayed away from him on the perimeter. The young forward missed four of his first five shots before starting to pick up steam.
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With just over seven minutes left in the first half, USC’s Chad Baker-Mazar brought down Carr, giving him an open three-point shot. Carr went around it, dribbled out, took a jump shot inside the arc, and drained it.
After halftime, MSU continued to chase the score to 6-6. He hit four of his six attempts and made five of his eight free throw attempts. That included a great shot in the paint with Kohler, where Carr caught a pass back on a cut and jammed hands on Baker Mazur and another Trojan and converted a three-point play.
Then, with victory in sight, Carr calmly received a pass from the right wing with 5 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game and calmly made a three-pointer with his left hand. All Izzone alumni stood up and cheered. It was his only three-point attempt of the second half, and he also had five rebounds.
What’s next for Michigan State University
The Spartans’ three-game homestand continues with another quick turnaround at Northwestern on Thursday night (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). The Wildcats fell to Minnesota 84-78 at home on Saturday and now sit at 8-6 but winless in three Big Ten games. Coach Chris Collins’ team lost 15 games to Wisconsin on the road and four games to Ohio State at home in December, but has been on the back foot since the loss to the Gophers.
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Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball team finds momentum in win over USC Trojans
