EAST LANSING — Everything has built to a crescendo for the Big Ten opener for Michigan State basketball.
Win over Arkansas? Check. Win over Kentucky? Check. Win over North Carolina? Check.
And as the Spartans check in at No. 8 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, they welcome a resurgent No. 25 Iowa squad. under new coach Ben McCollum, to Breslin Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2 (7 p.m., Peacock). Then they welcome No. 4 Duke for another marquee matchup Saturday at Breslin Center.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to point guard Jeremiah Fears Jr. during a game against East Carolina in the Fort Myers Tipoff, Nov. 25, 2025.
“It’s not often that you get a big week of basketball with both conference and nonconference,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said Monday. “We’ve had a good start. In fact, we’ve had a great start – if seven games is considered a start.”
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The Spartans (7-0) won the Big Ten title last season by three games, giving Izzo an 11th regular-season championship that pulled him into a tie with Indiana’s Bob Knight and Purdue’s Ward “Piggy” Lambert for the most in conference history. His quest for the record begins against the Hawkeyes (7-0), who entered the rankings for the first time this week after replacing 15-year coach Fran McCaffery.
Here is what to watch when the two tip off at 7 p.m. in a game that will be streamed on NBC’s Peacock app.
(Jeremy) Fears factor
Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) hypes up the crowd during the second half of the Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.
Much of MSU’s hot start revolves around the impressive start for point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
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The redshirt sophomore scored a career-high 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting with seven assists in the Spartans’ impressive 74-58 Thanksgiving day win over No. 17 UNC in Fort Myers, Florida.
Through seven games, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Fears leads the nation with 9.9 assists per game and 69 total helpers. His 4.60 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 22nd, while his 12 points a game is second to Jaxon Kohler’s 14.6 for the Spartans. Fears also has a team-leading 12 total steals to go with 3.9 rebounds a game and is 8-for-17 (47.1%) from 3-point range.
Izzo complimented his on-floor extension for his development a little more than two years after Fears was shot in the left leg, which ended his freshman season in 2023-24. But he was most pleased with the leadership he is seeing from Fears.
“He walked in my office this morning, and I just said, ‘I’m proud of what you did in practice yesterday,’” Izzo said. “He started out kind of sluggish, and I jumped him. And he responded. He knows I want what’s best for him, I KNOW he wants to do what’s best and help us win and help him become better.
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“And once you get to that – it’s not perfect yet, it’ll have its moments – but deep down now, I always got a level to bring him to and say, ‘Hey, this is what we did when we did it together.’”
Carson Cooper shining
Michigan State’s Carson Cooper finishes a dunk against East Carolina at the Fort Myers Tipoff, Nov. 25, 2025.
One of the biggest benefactors of Fears’ generosity this season has been Carson Cooper, and the senior is blossoming into a bigger offensive factor to go with his steady post defense.
The 6-foot, 245-pound Cooper is averaging 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds with five blocks. He is shooting 57.4% while showing improved range outside the paint and getting to the free-throw line a team-best 28 times, thanks to his burgeoning confidence on the block.
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The Jackson native arrived unranked out of IMG Academy after splitting his youth playing soccer and basketball. Cooper has emerged in his final season as perhaps one of – if not the biggest – developmental successes in Izzo’s 31 seasons.
“Coop has just gotten better every year,” Izzo said. “Not as fast I want him to, but what we forget is he’s not even turned 21 yet and he’s a senior. … I just think Coop’s best basketball is still ahead of him. And I hope a lot of it comes this year, because he really has been our staple defensively. He’s been the educator at handling all situations, a very good leader and a great two-handed rebounder. But his offense is starting to come, his free-throw shooting is starting to come.
“And if that comes, I think Carson Cooper goes to a whole other level. I really think he’s a guy that is gonna be playing basketball when he’s done here.”
Iowa update
Nov 20, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum greets fans after the game against the Chicago State Cougars at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Iowa fired McCaffrey after last season and a second straight year outside of the NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes never made it out of the first weekend of the NCAAs in seven trips under McCaffrey (who now is at his alma mater, Penn).
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Enter McCollum, an Iowa City native who left his alma mater, Division II Northwest Missouri State, for Drake last season and went 31-4 in leading the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAAs. McCollum was 395-91 at NWMSU, winning four Division II national titles from 2017-22.
“His winning percentage is off the charts, maybe one of the best in the country,” Izzo said of the 44-year-old McCollum. “And in saying that, he’s taken a lot of that team with him.”
That includes senior Bennett Stirtz, a 6-4, 190-pound guard who leads Iowa at 18.6 points a game while shooting 50% overall and 45.7% from 3-point range. He is one of eight transfers to arrive with McCollum and one of five who came with him from Drake, including third-leading scorer in 6-7 wing Tavion Banks (9.3 points). Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Foluguerias, a 6-10 forward, averages 10.0 points and a team-high 4.7 rebounds.
Iowa’s best wins so far include an 81-62 win over Xavier on Nov. 14 and a pair of victories in the Acrisure Classic last week, over Mississippi (74-69) and Grand Canyon (59-46) in the Hawkeyes’ first games away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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Next up: Hawkeyes
Matchup: No. 10 Michigan State (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 25 Iowa (7-0, 0-0), Big Ten opener.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2; Breslin Center, East Lansing.
TV/radio: Peacock (online only, no TV); WJR-AM (760).
Chris Solari’s prediction
The Spartans take advantage of the boisterous home crowd eager to turn the page to hoops after a hard football season, with the Jaxson Kohler-Carson Cooper tandem putting together a strong showing on the block. Fears gets MSU’s fastbreak moving, and the defense bottles up the Hawkeyes to set up Saturday’s big game with Duke. The pick: MSU 75, Iowa 67.
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Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball vs Iowa: Scouting report, prediction
