No horsing around for Michigan State basketball bigs in rout of USC

EAST LANSING — If one thing ever remains constant about Tom Izzo’s program, among all of his hallmark tenets, it is that Michigan State basketball will dial up its defense after a loss.

Everything else Izzo wants from his offense always stems from how the Spartans play at the other end of the floor. And USC walked into a Breslin Center buzzsaw on Monday, Jan. 5.

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Truly, a fitting way for Izzo to win his 750th victory in front of an alumni Izzone crowd packed wity many who have been along for the entire ride, as No. 13 MSU walloped the Trojans, 80-51.

Michigan State’s Coen Carr makes a jump shot against USC during the first half on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

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Coen Carr shook off a sluggish, sloppy start to finish with 18 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten), who were coming off their first conference loss on Friday at Nebraska, a 58-56 defeat. Jeremy Fear Jr. added 15 points and seven assists, while Jaxon Kohler’s double-double streak ended at five straight games but the senior finished with 16 points and eight rebounds while hitting three 3-pointers.

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Ezra Ausar had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Trojans (12-3, 1-3), who got blown out Friday night at No. 1 Michigan, 96-66. Jerry Easter II added 12 points, but USC made just three of 17 from 3-point range as the Spartans smothered them to 32.7% overall shooting.

Finding a mix

After missing Friday’s loss in Nebraska and leaving Izzo with a depleted guard rotation, Divine Ugochukwu returned and started for MSU against the Trojans. And after a brief stop on the bench, he quickly returned to spell Fears at point guard and helped spark a 13-2 run after USC scored the first five points.

Carr delivered a dunk in transition for the Spartans’ first bucket before a media timeout, when Ugochukwu, a sophomore transfer, replaced Fears running the offense. After a Kohler…

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Publish date : 2026-01-06 04:02:00

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