Overview
- No. 17 Michigan State beat San Jose State 79-60 after leading 46-23 at halftime, then seeing the margin trimmed to 10 before closing strong.
- Jaxon Kohler posted 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, Carson Cooper added 17 points with seven boards, and Jeremy Fears Jr. had a career-best 15 points with nine assists.
- The Spartans controlled the interior with a 45-26 rebounding edge, a 34-20 advantage in paint points, and a 24-8 edge in fastbreak scoring.
- Perimeter shooting remained a concern at 6-for-25 from three, following a 1-for-14 outing in the prior win over Arkansas.
- Tom Izzo criticized the second-half letdown, saying the team got “fat and sassy” and warning, “If we play like this, we’ll get killed,” ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with Kentucky in New York.