LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 9 Michigan State opens the 2026 calendar year with a Big Ten Conference matchup at No. 13/13 Nebraska on Friday, Jan. 2 (9 p.m. ET, Peacock). MSU is coming off a 114-97 win over Cornell, with Jeremy Fears Jr. scoring a career-high 21 points and handing out 11 assists.
Friday’s game will air live on Peacock, with Noah Reed and Nick Bahe calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play, Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 121 or 195 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
- Michigan State enters Friday’s game with an 12-1 overall record (2-0 Big Ten) and are coming off a 114-97 win over Cornell on Monday to close out non-conference play.
- The Spartans are No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 9 in the ESPN Coaches poll … MSU is No. 14 in the NCAA Net Rankings and No. 15 per KenPom.
- Through 13 games, the Spartans have four players scoring in double figures, eight averaging at least 5.0 ppg and 10 averaging at least 10.0 minutes.
- The Spartans are No. 9 in the country in assists (20.2 apg), with Jeremy Fears Jr. second in the country with 9.3 dimes per game.
- MSU ranks No. 5 in the country in rebound margin (+13.7) and Kohler is second in the Big Ten, and No. 12 nationally, with 10.3 rpg.
- The Spartans are No. 32 nationally in scoring defense (65.9 ppg) and ranks No. 7 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
- Kohler leads the team in scoring with 13.7 ppg and tops the team with 10.3 rpg (2nd B1G, #12 nationally) … Kohler’s eight double-doubles this year rank sixth nationally and he has scored in double figures 13 times.
- Fears, who leads the team with 30.5 minutes played, is third on the team with 11.5 ppg and is handing out 9.3 assists per game, second in Division I, and has handed out 121 assists, also second in the country.
- Coen Carr, one of the most athletic players in all of college basketball, is second on the team with 12.2 ppg, third on the team with 5.0 rpg and third with 1.7 apg in 28.2 mpg.
- Carson Cooper, who had 16 points and a career-best 16 rebounds vs. Duke, is playing a career-high 24.2 minutes, is fourth on the team with 10.4 ppg and second with 6.9 rpg, 12th in the B1G.
- Kur Teng, who scored a career-high 15 points against Kentucky, is averaging 7.0 ppg, Cam Ward is sixth on the team with 6.3 ppg and fourth with 4.2 rpg and Divine Ugochukwu, who scored a career-high 23 points at Penn State, is averaging 5.5 ppg in 13.6 mpg.
- Senior Trey Fort is tallying 5.5 ppg, redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch is averaging 4.2 ppg and 1.9 rpg and freshman Jordan Scott adds 3.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 16.2 mpg
Anyone, Any Time, Any Place, Any Where
- Tom Izzo has consistently played one of the toughest schedules in America.
- With a willingness to play at home, on the road or a neutral site, his list of regular-season non-conference opponents reads like a who’s who of top college basketball programs.
- MSU ranks No. 18 nationally in the NET Strength of Schedule and No. 7 in non-conference strength.
- The 2025-26 home schedule is arguably the best in program history, with home non-conference games against Arkansas (W, 69-66) and Duke (L, 66-60) … In addition to 10 Big Ten contests, MSU will host 12 power conference opponents for the first time in the Izzo Era.
- Michigan State’s challenging schedule through the opening month-plus has provided opportunities for the Spartans as well.
- The Spartans are one of only six teams nationally with four Quad 1 wins, notching wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Iowa … The only other schools with four Quad 1 wins are Duke, Arizona, UConn, Iowa State and Michigan.
- At 12-1, this is the sixth time in Izzo’s 31 seasons the Spartans have gotten through Christmas with one loss or fewer.
- The Spartans, who have made the highest climb in the Associated Press poll from No. 22 in the preseason to a current rank of No. 9, have played six games against high-major opponents, including four-straight games (North Carolina, Iowa, Duke and Penn State).
About Nebraska
- Nebraska enters the game on Friday night with a perfect 13-0 record, including a 2-0 mark in the Big Ten … The Huskers beat New Hampshire, 86-55, on Wednesday night.
- The Huskers, who have the nation’s longest winning streak at 17 games dating back to last season, are 9-0 at home and ranked No. 13 in both national polls.
- Nebraska has three players scoring in double figures, led by Rienk Mast, who missed all of last season with an injury but was an All-Big Ten third team selection in 2023-24, who leads in the team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg).
- Nebraska ranks 21st nationally in 3-point attempts per game (30.2), 43rd in 3-pointers made per game (10.3) and are No. 38 nationally in scoring defense (66.2 ppg).
- The Huskers are averaging 80.9 points per game at home, connecting on 46.1 percent of their field goals and hitting 9.6 three-pointers per game (31.5%) … Senior guard Pryce Sandfort is averaging 17.0 ppg in the last five games.
Against the Huskers
- Michigan State leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 24-10.
- MSU has won 15 of 19 meetings as Big Ten foes … The Spartans have won 12 of the last 13 meetings between the teams.
- The Spartans are 9-7 at Nebraska.
- Tom Izzo holds a 16-4 series advantage against Nebraska.
- The teams met six times between 1988 and 1994, but did not meet again until the 2011-12 season.
- MSU won last year’s lone meeting, 89-52, at home.
