Men’s Basketball Ft. Myers Classic Preview

Michigan State will face East Carolina tomorrow and North Carolina on Thanksgiving Day in the Ft. Myers Classic.

The Spartans head to Florida with a 5-0 record which includes impressive wins over Arkansas at home and Kentucky in the Champions Classic.  Michigan State is coming off a 84-56 win against Detroit Mercy on Friday.

Advertisement

Though they caught flack from Tom Izzo after an unimpressive second half against San Jose State – the game sandwiched in between Arkansas and Kentucky – the Spartans have relied heavily on their four captains so far this season.  Jeremy Fears (32), Jaxon Kohler (30), Coen Carr (29), and Carson Cooper (24) are the only Spartans averaging over 20 minutes per game through the first five games.  Freshman Jordan Scott is next on the team with 17.5 mpg while fellow freshman Cam Ward and transfer Trey Fort both average 16.  Redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch has only been playing eight minutes per game but is pushing for more time after impressive performances against Kentucky and Detroit.

The four captains are all scoring in double figures for MSU, led by Kohler averaging 14 per game.  Fears, after a career high 18 against Detroit Mercy, is averaging 12.8 while Carr and Cooper are at 12.

The Spartans rank 11th in the country with nearly 21 assists per game and Fears leads the nation with 10.4 per game.

Despite a tremendous performance in the Champions Classic, which saw MSU go 11-22 on three point attempts, the Spartans continue to struggle to shoot the ball.  Michigan State has made just 24% of their three pointers but is shooting 44% overall through five games.  Instead, MSU is winning with their long-held program priorities of defense and rebounding.  Opponents are shooting just 40% overall and 30% on three pointers against MSU while the Spartans are out rebounding opponents by nearly 16 per game, good for eighth in the nation.

Advertisement

East Carolina is 2-3 entering tomorrow’s game with narrow wins over Georgia Southern (92-89)…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/men-basketball-ft-myers-classic-190248768.html

Author :

Publish date : 2025-11-24 19:02:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.