No. 12 Michigan State Hosts Northwestern in Big Ten Matchup on Thursday at the Breslin Center

EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 12 Michigan State plays the second game of a three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m., BTN), hosting Big Ten foe Northwestern at the Breslin Center. The Spartans, who are 8-1 at home this year, are coming off an 80-51 win over Southern California on Monday night, the 750th career win for MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo.

Thursday’s game will air live on BTN, with Chris Vosters and LaPhonso Ellis 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 117 or 195 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.

About the Spartans

• Michigan State enters Thursday’s game with an 13-2 overall record (3-1 Big Ten) and are coming off an 80-51 win over Southern California at home on Monday.
• The Spartans, No. 12 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 9 in last week’s ESPN Coaches poll, are one of nine schools nationally with at least 4 Quad 1 wins (Arizona, Duke, Purdue, Vanderbilt, UConn, BYU, Nebraska Michigan).
• MSU is No. 12 in the NCAA Net Rankings and No. 12 per KenPom.
• The Spartans are No. 15 in the country in assists (19.3 apg), with Jeremy Fears Jr. second in the country with 9.0 dimes per game.
• MSU ranks No. 5 in the country in rebound margin (+13.8) and Kohler is second in the Big Ten, and No. 15 nationally, with 10.2 rpg.
• The Spartans are No. 15 nationally in scoring defense (64.4 ppg) and ranks No. 2 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
• Through 15 games, the Spartans have three players scoring in double figures, seven averaging at least 5.0 ppg and nine averaging at least 10.0 minutes.
• Jaxon Kohler leads the team in scoring with 14.2 ppg and tops the team with 10.2 rpg (2nd B1G, #15 nationally) … Kohler, who became the first player in MSU history under Head Coach Izzo to have five-straight double-doubles and ranks No. 5 nationally with nine this season, has scored in double figures 15 times this year.
• Jeremy Fears Jr., who leads the team with 30.7 minutes played, is tied for second on the team with 11.9 ppg and is handing out 9.0 assists per game, second in Division I … His 135 total assists are No. 1 in the country.
• Coen Carr, one of the most athletic players in all of college basketball, is tied for second on the team with 11.9 ppg, third on the team with 5.1 rpg and second with 1.6 apg in 28.1 mpg.
• Carson Cooper, who had 16 points and a career-best 16 rebounds vs. Duke, is playing a career-high 24.8 minutes, is fourth on the team with 9.7 ppg and second with 7.1 rpg, ninth in the B1G.
• Kur Teng, who scored a career-high 15 points against Kentucky, is averaging 7.4 ppg and has scored in double figures in four of the last five; Cam Ward is sixth on the team with 5.6 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 13.9 mpg.
• Senior Trey Fort is tallying 4.9 ppg, redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch is averaging 3.7 ppg and 1.7 rpg and freshman Jordan Scott adds 3.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 16.2 mpg (5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg in B1G).

Breslin Advantage

• Michigan State returns back to the Breslin Center for three-straight games … The Spartans are 8-1 at home this year, the lone loss a 66-60 decision to then-No. 4 Duke.
• In the last year-plus, the Spartans are 23-2 at home
• The Spartans have an all-time record of 495-77 (.865) at home since the Breslin Center opened in 1989, including a 263-60 (.814) in Big Ten play.
• Under Head Coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 421-62 (.873) at the Breslin, including a 222-47 (.825) conference record.

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. 16 nationally in the NET Strength of Schedule and No. 61 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 nine teams nationally with at least four Quad 1 wins, notching wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Iowa … The only other schools with four Quad 1 wins are Arizona, Duke, Purdue, Vanderbilt, UConn, BYU, Nebraska Michigan.
• When MSU improved to 12-1, it marked the sixth time in Izzo’s 31 seasons the Spartans have gotten through Christmas with one loss or fewer.

About Northwestern

• The game on Thursday between Michigan State and Northwestern will be the 139th meeting between the schools.
• MSU leads the all-time series with Northwestern, 96-42.
• The Spartans have won the last two games and 15 of the last 19 games overall, including a 78-68 win on the road last year.
• The Wildcats have won two of the last three games played at the Breslin Center … MSU is 53-10 at home, 50-6 at the Breslin Center.
• Tom Izzo is 41-8 in his career against Northwestern.

Against the Wildcats

• Northwestern enters Thursday night’s game with an 8-6 overall record, including an 0-3 record in the Big Ten.
• The Wildcats, who have lost two of their last three games and five of the last eight overall, are coming off an 84-78 loss at home to Minnesota on Jan. 3.
• Northwestern opened conference play with an 85-73 loss at Wisconsin and has two losses at home, to Minnesota and Ohio State (86-82) by a combined 10 points.
• The Wildcats rank No. 1 in the country in assist/turnover ratio (2.11), No. 24 in assists per game (18.6) and are No. 1 in turnovers (8.8).
• Northwestern ranks 10th in the league in scoring offense (80.4 ppg) and 10th in scoring defense (70.4 ppg) … In Big Ten games, the Wildcats are seventh in scoring offense (77.7 ppg) and 17th in scoring defense (85.0 ppg).