Michigan State has played UConn once this season, in an exhibition game which the Huskies won 76-69. Plenty has changed since that October evening — players have improved, experience has been gained and storylines have emerged and faded as wins and losses have accumulated. Over the past five months, both teams have matured as the seasons changed. 

“We got down ten early and it stayed ten the whole game,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said when discussing the MSU versus UConn exhibition matchup in October. “I think we’re a lot different team. But they’re a lot, lot different team.” 

Surviving the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, UConn beat No. 15 seed Furman 82-71 on Friday and followed this victory with another, defeating No. 7 seed UCLA 73-57. It returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since its national championship run in 2024.

The 31-5 Huskies, coached by Dan Hurley, provide Michigan State with an offensively sound and defensively efficient opponent. They are powerful on the glass, deliberate on offense, quick on defense and possess the veteran leadership that makes good teams great. UConn averages 77.5 points per game (106th in the NCAA), allows 65.1 points (seventh in the NCAA) and rebounds at a 54.7% rate (17th in the NCAA).

Expanding the Spartan spotlight

With the veteran leadership Michigan State has, much of the attention naturally falls on the team’s core four players — sophomore guard Jeremy Fears, junior forward Coen Carr, senior forward Jaxon Kohler and senior center Carson Cooper. These players are relied upon to perform well in every game, a standard that is even more critical in March.

But against UConn and deeper into the tournament, strong play from the core four may not be enough. The contributions of the supporting players behind them could determine whether the Spartans advance or go home.

Senior guard Trey Fort, freshman guard Jordan Scott and freshman forward Cam Ward are expected to play a key role in providing that support. Their performance could tip the balance in Michigan State’s favor and help the team compete for a spot in the Elite Eight.

After a regular season many would call disappointing, Trey Fort has regained the form that drew attention when he transferred to Michigan State from Samford. Over the past three games, he has moved into the starting lineup and made a noticeable impact. His three-point shooting has become a valuable offensive weapon, and his length helps the team on defense and the boards.

Fort was a pivotal offensive threat in MSU’s 77-69 victory over Louisville on Saturday. He scored 12 points and secured five rebounds while tallying 19 minutes played – the most minutes he’s played since November. Games like this will pay dividends in how MSU performs in the rest of the tournament. 

Fort has awoken at the right time, and he’s one more player that Dan Hurley and the Husky lineup must prepare for.

“This is tear-jerking for me. Fort’s had a miserable year from what he was expecting and what we were expecting,” Izzo said during the Louisville postgame presser. “And instead of quitting, he's stuck with it.”

All season, Michigan State’s success has hinged on the performance of freshmen Jordan Scott and Cam Ward. The pair, always competitive and effort-driven, can be inconsistent. At times, one or both are the best player on the court; other times, they have an off night — something coach Tom Izzo calls a natural part of freshman development. With only four games remaining and just one guarantee of victory, the Spartans cannot afford those off days.

To beat UConn, Scott and Ward must exhibit their presence through all things good — offensive efficiency, defensive prowess and physicality on the glass. The Spartans have lost games when their freshmen make freshman mistakes. They win games when they play like upperclassmen. So far in the tournament, both have been quiet, combining for 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five turnovers committed.   

“I want Ward and Scott to learn a lot, and I want them to learn it quickly, because they’re two big and important parts to our team,” Izzo said. “Most freshmen do have [down] weekends. But I really do believe both guys will be better.”

For success to find MSU against UConn and beyond, the role players that exist in the shadows of the core-four must exhibit their presence and make a difference.

Containing a steel machine 

It would not take a genius to guess Tom Izzo’s No. 1 game plan against UConn: contain Huskies center, Tarris Reed.

The former Michigan player is UConn’s most efficient contributor. A workhorse senior, he uses his size and strength to display power in the post while relying on swift footwork to be a versatile threat on both ends of the court. During the regular season, Reed averaged 14.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and two blocks per game. In the tournament, he is averaging 20.5 points, 20 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Against Furman University, he scored 31 points and grabbed 27 rebounds, marking the first 30-point, 25-rebound game in the NCAA Tournament since Houston’s Elvin Hayes in 1968.

The presence of Ward, Kohler and Cooper in the Spartan post is three times more than what Furman had. For Reed’s power and versatility to be slowed, MSU must make him uncomfortable, which comes by winning physicality points. If this fails to be achieved, then the Spartan guards must pick up the slack on the perimeter. 

“Reed has gotten better and better and better,” Izzo said. “He’s been a monster. He’s averaging over five offensive rebounds over the past three games. It’s hard to get a guy to average five rebounds, much less offensive rebounds. He’s got great hands, good quickness, and is a good free-throw shooter. His game has improved over the past year.”

Even if a good game by Reed is forthcoming, he can’t single-handedly defeat MSU as he did Furman. The Huskies will need help, and with their talent, they’re bound to receive it. 

At the forward position, there’s senior Alex Karaban, a lengthy and physical sharpshooter who carries the bulk of the Husky leadership through his veteran presence. During the regular season, he averaged 13.3 points, five assists and one block. Like Reed, he’s caught fire in the tournament – against Furman, he scored 22 points, against UCLA, he scored 27. 

At the guard position, there’s Solo Ball, Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary. Each averaged over ten points while giving the Huskies an average of 28 minutes on the court. Ball has a quick first step and serves as UConn’s playmaker, Mullins is a shotmaking machine and Demary is a jackknife of talent who can get to the basket while leading the team in assists and steals.

“They have a complex offense with incredible movement to it,” Izzo said. “They are so good defensively and they’ve been good defensively for years. I’m glad we get some days to prepare for that.”

In UConn’s past nine NCAA Tournament appearances, the Huskies have been eliminated in the second round five times. In the other four, they went on to win the national championship. On Friday, March 27, at 9:45 p.m. in Washington, D.C., Michigan State looks to hand UConn its first Sweet 16 loss since 2003. The game will air on CBS.