Scouting Michigan State basketball Sweet 16 matchup with UConn

Free Press sports writer Chris Solari down Friday’s East region semifinal game between No. 11 Michigan State basketball (per the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll) and No. 7 Connecticut:

Fast facts

Matchup: 3-seed Michigan State (27-7, 15-5 Big Ten) vs. 2-seed Connecticut (31-5, 17-3 Big East); NCAA Tournament East region Sweet 16.

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Tipoff 9:45 p.m., Friday, March 27; Capital One Arena, Washington.

TV/radio: CBS; WJR-AM (760).

At stake: Winner faces Friday’s winner of 1-seed Duke vs. 5-seed St. John’s on Sunday for spot in Final Four in Indianapolis.

About Michigan State basketball: Meet the Spartans

Oct 28, 2025; Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) fights for a rebound against Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Location: East Lansing.

Coach: Tom Izzo (31 seasons at MSU, 764-309 career).

School tournament record: 78-37 in 38 appearances.

Past 10 games: 7-3.

Scoring leaders: Jeremy Fears Jr., 15.3 points per game; Jaxon Kohler, 12.6; Coen Carr, 12; Carson Cooper, 11.

Rebounding leaders: Kohler, 9 per game; Cooper, 7.1; Carr, 5.5.

Assist leaders: Fears, 9.4 per game; Cooper, 1.4; Kohler, 1.3; Carr, 1.2.

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3-point leaders: Jesse McCulloch, 50%; Kohler; 39.3%; Kur Teng, 38.4%; Trey Fort, 36.7%.

All stats entering Monday.

The buzz: The Spartans advanced to Tom Izzo’s 17th Sweet 16 during his record streak of 28 straight NCAA appearances with a 77-69 victory over 6-seed Louisville on Saturday, March 22, in Buffalo, New York. Fears broke MSU’s single-game NCAA tournament assist record with 16, while Carr scored 21 points with a career-high 10 rebounds. Fort also gave MSU a spark off the bench with 19 points between the win over the Cardinals and Thursday’s first-round victory over North Dakota State.

The Spartans faced UConn in an exhibition game on Oct. 28 in Hartford, Connecticut, won by Huskies, 76-69. The final score was deceptive, as UConn led by as…

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Publish date : 2026-03-23 09:09:00

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