Oakland junior forward Isaac Garrett (32) attempts to rebound between MSU sophomore guard Kur Teng (2) and senior forward Jaxon Kohler (0) after a Michigan State layup at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
In a classic Michigan State versus Oakland basketball matchup, the Spartans did not play well. Or, more accurately, the Grizzlies played very well. In a game defined by physicality, grit and an underdog story that nearly came to life, MSU defeated Oakland 79-70.
For any Spartan fan who cares about how MSU plays and not just whether the team wins, this game was not for them. For the No. 9 team in the nation, MSU struggled to solve Oakland’s zone defense and its quick-paced, physical offense.
It was a strong performance by the Grizzlies, aided by a dull showing from the Spartans. While MSU held the lead for more than 25 minutes, Oakland lingered throughout, never drifting far from striking distance.
“It looked like in the first half we were already on vacation,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “And that’s not taking anything away from them. That’s taking away from the energy that we played with. We won, but what a job they did.”
Those struggles were evident in the opening eight minutes, and during that stretch, MSU did not play Spartan basketball. That stretch was filled with turnovers and poor shooting, which was enough to give Oakland an 18-14 lead.
In the front court, MSU struggled keeping the ball in its possession, becoming plagued by ill-advised turnovers, and in the back court, defenders were susceptible to quick drives and strong post action by Oakland offenders.
The root of this problem was Oakland’s physicality, which matched MSU’s in the first half. The Grizzlies played an in-your-face, get-to-the-ball defense that forced MSU to pass quickly and shoot even quicker.
That pressure created confusion and erratic play in the Spartan frontcourt, which directly led to the turnovers.
By the final buzzer, MSU had committed 11 turnovers, with seven coming in the first half and four in the opening 10 minutes.
“Oaklands zone is so good,” Izzo said. “They are flying around, and they’re aggressive, and [Oakland] turned us over a lot in the first half because of it.
Offensively, Oakland dominated the paint. Correction, Grizzlies forward Michael Houge dominated the paint.
The senior from Detroit was a force in the post offensively, and he was a force that MSU had trouble defending. To finish the game, his strength and quick pivots helped Oakland stay in the game, and he contributed 13 points on a 5-for-10 shooting display with two rebounds.
In the second half, the Spartans cleaned up some of their mistakes, beating Oakland in transition and capitalizing off their size and awareness. MSU moved the ball more consistently and found the open man, a result of coaching adjustments designed to break Oakland’s stingy zone.
Key contributors in MSU’s frontcourt were sophomore guard Kur Teng and junior forward Coen Carr.
In his 20 minutes played, Teng shot his three pointer well, going 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. He also found success in driving to the basket, and he finished with 10 points and five assists. Like Teng, Carr found his success in driving to the basket, and after a rough first half where he committed an erratic playstyle, he finished the game strong, going 8-for-13 with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The play of the pair helped elevate MSU past its opponent.
“I was happy for Coen,” Izzo said. “He had a pretty good game. He still missed some wide open shots, but I think he got some confidence and he got some big time rebounds, and that's the way he's got to play. We need him to play well if we want to do anything.”
Even as MSU’s mistakes became fewer and points were scored, Oakland held its own.
The Grizzlies played tough and physical and this forced MSU to play uncomfortable. Along with Houge’s play in the paint, guard Ziaire Wells and forward Tuburu Naivalurua contributed to the Grizzlies’ strong performance. Wells finished the game shooting 6-for-10 with 17 points and Naivalurua finished shooting 6-for-11 with 18 points and five rebounds.
Yet, despite these performances, there were two things that separated MSU and Oakland: rebounds and points off the bench.
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In spite of Oakland’s effort and physicality, it couldn’t secure a rebound. The Spartans were bigger and stronger and they were still physical, all of which made a difference. To finish the game, MSU out-rebounded Oakland 42-26 while securing 15 offensive rebounds.
The ability to generate second-chance opportunities while limiting Oakland was a major reason MSU avoided an upset.
The other reason was for MSUs bench, which was much deeper and more consistent than Oakland's bench. The Spartans bench scored 27 points. The Grizzlies’ bench only scored three.
“I said before the game, if we can win by one and get out here and be happy,” Izzo said. “I'm not going to go home and do cartwheels because I think we got a lot of work to do, but I'm going to be happy. This was a good win.”
Now 11-1, MSU will head into Christmas break before returning to action Dec. 29 against Cornell. The game will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Breslin Center.
