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 jumper, the combo guard lofted a well-placed lob to Carson Cooper for an alley-oop. Kur Teng scored, then Cooper hit a pair of free throws for a 10-0 run, including eight straight with Ugochukwu running the offense.
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With Fears back in the lineup, MSU put the game away with what was, by then, a 17-4 spurt. The third-year sophomore sparked it with a pair of midrange jumpers, then freshman Cam Ward put back a Fears miss with a slam. By the time Kohler drained back-to-back 3-pointers, the lead had swelled to 27-11.
The Spartans’ defense did the rest, smothering the Trojans to just 6-of-28 shooting and 1-for-7 from 3-point range, offsetting their own 3-for-11 struggles from deep. But MSU finished 11-for-21 inside the arc and took a 33-17 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Izzo’s defense continued to squelch USC. The Trojans did not reach the 30-point mark until nearly 5½ minutes into the half and took another 5½ minutes to get to 40.
Fears, meantime, remained aggressive. Even though he missed three 3-point attempts, he went 4-for-5 inside the arc and attacked off the dribble for 11 of his points. Fears pushed the pace with four second-half assists, one a Eurostep-behind-the-back dish to Teng for a layup after a Fears steal.
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. smirks after a score against USC during the first half on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Carr repairs
It was clear early that Izzo wanted to get Carr going after a two-point, 1-for-5 effort at Nebraska. But USC coach Eric Musselman appeared ready for it, with Carr immediately getting whistled for a charge on a bull-rush drive to the basket on MSU’s first possession and then missing two 3-pointers as the Trojans’ defenders sagged far off him around the perimeter. The junior forward missed four of his first five shots before getting revved up.
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USC’s Chad Baker-Mazar sagged off Carr and gave him an open 3-point look with a little over seven minutes left in the first half. Carr bypassed it, dribbled out then took a step-in jumper inside the arc and swished it.
After halftime, MSU continued to go to the 6-6 swingman. He connected on four of six attempts, got to the line eight times and made five free throws. That included a highlight-reel give-and-go with Kohler in the paint, with Carr getting a return pass on a cut and throwing down a two-hand jam over Baker-Mazur and another Trojan and converting the three-point play.
Then, with a win well in hand, Carr cooly collected a pass on the right wing with 5:10 to play and calmly swished a left-handed 3-pointer. The Izzone alumni all rose to their feet and cheered. It was his only 3-point try of the second half, and he also finished with five rebounds.
What’s next for MSU
The Spartans’ three-game homestand continues with another quick turnaround and a visit Thursday night from Northwestern (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). The Wildcats are 8-6 but winless in three Big Ten games after falling at home to Minnesota, 84-78, on Saturday. Coach Chris Collins’ team also lost by 15 on the road at Wisconsin and by four at home to Ohio State in December, but they have been off since falling to the Gophers.
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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 finds horsepower in rout of USC Trojans
