Michigan State tramples USC for Tom Izzo's 750th win

Connor Earegood, The Detroit News on Jan 5, 2026

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — If Michigan State started off 2026 with a damper of a loss at Nebraska on Friday, then a return to Breslin Center in front of an Izzone reunion crowd gave the Spartans a big lift to enter a three-game homestand.

The 12th-ranked Spartans downed USC, 80-51, with 49 points from its trio of Jaxon Kohler (16), Jeremy Fears Jr. (15) and Coen Carr (18). And a sweltering defense allowed just 17 points in the first half.

The win is Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's 750th of his career.

Kohler’s eight rebounds led a 39-30 advantage on the glass. For USC, Ezra Ausar scored 16 and Jerry Easter II scored 12.

USC scorer Chad Baker-Mazara, who turns 26 later this month, came off the bench after an inefficient performance at Michigan. He averaged 20.4 points per game heading into Monday night’s game, averaging 6.2 of those at the foul line. He only mustered four points against the Spartans, two in the first half.

Up 33-17 out of halftime, Michigan State started the second half just like it had taken over the game — with defense. Fears swiped the ball away from Ausar. And though a non-call on a Trojan travel might have piqued Izzo, his Spartans’ overall defensive performance could not. It took USC until 9:05 remained in the second half to reach 40 points. By that time, MSU had 62.

What Michigan State’s offense lacked in efficiency to open the half, it made up for in brute force. Fears drove to the cup multiple times using his quickness. And Carr had a highlight reel dunk off a give-and-go with Kohler to go up 41-23 two and a half minutes into the half. And the highlights kept coming. On the break with Kur Teng beside him, Fears slid a behind-the-back pass to Teng for an easy layup entering a media timeout.

Fears continued his tear in the second half, with a pair of speedy layups to push Michigan State’s lead to 24 points. After the second layup, scored off the break on his own defensive rebound, he flexed his arms to the crowd.

And Michigan State kept flexing its muscles inside the paint. Carr powered his way for an easy layup with 13:05 to play. And a minute later, after he missed the front end of one-and-one free throws, he ripped the ball out of the hands of USC guard Kam Woods, who joined the Trojans over Christmas break after playing at Robert Morris.

USC found a fourth quarter comeback of sorts after the midpoint of the half, keeping rhythm on offense with big contributions from Easter and Ausar. But it never drew closer than 20 after the first five minutes of the half, and Michigan State cruised to a win.

With about six minutes to play, backup shooting guard Trey Fort turned over the ball on a spinning fall, but Kohler chased down Easter at the other end. The officials called a foul, but the Izzone crowd didn’t like the review. And after Easter split free throws to the accompaniment of a cacophony, the officials stopped play to eject Paul Davis, a Spartan center from 2002 to 2006.

Michigan State’s 51 points allowed Friday made for its best defensive performance since a road 73-51 win versus Minnesota at Breslin Center Jan. 28, 2025.

Michigan State’s offense started ice cold, trying to force the ball through Carr’s hands. The first five possessions ended in three misses from deep and two turnovers before Carr slammed home an emphatic dunk a little less than three minutes in. USC didn’t build much of a lead in that stretch, and before long the Spartans turned a 5-0 hole into a 6-5 lead off a lob from Divine Ugochukwu to Carson Cooper with 14:33 to play.

Ugochukwu, back in the starting lineup after missing a narrow loss to Nebraska with illness, had five points and an assist.

The Spartans’ run kept going to 10-0, with contributions from Teng and Cooper, who made two free throws three days after missing two that would’ve forced Friday’s loss to Nebraska into overtime. USC came up empty on 10 straight possessions until Easter put in a layup with 11:15 in the half.

But Easter’s layup proved an exception to what was a sluggish, disjointed offensive effort from USC. It didn’t have many answers for Michigan State’s physical defense, especially at the rim where five offensive rebounds yielded just a single 3-pointer.

With its defense in control, Michigan State surged for a 14-2 advantage over the course of three and a half minutes to lead 27-11 with 5:52 to play. USC coach Eric Musselman called timeout to get his team regrouped after forward Kohler stretched the floor with back-to-back 3s.

While Musselman’s move cooled off the Spartans’ offense, his Trojans couldn’t get back on their horse. At halftime, they’d mustered just 17 points on 33 possessions, shooting 6 for 28 from the floor. Michigan State led, 33-17, with eight of those points from Kohler and six from Fears.

Michigan State plays the second of a three-game home stand Thursday against Northwestern.

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