The 2025-26 campaign was McCulloch’s first real season in the rotation, averaging 7.5 minutes in 28 games. He scored just 2.4 points per game, but shot 50% from three on 18 attempts. During the 2024-25 season, head coach Tom Izzo sat with McCulloch and his parents to tell him he’d be redshirting all year — with no injury. The logic: sidelining McCulloch, then a freshman, would preserve a year of eligibility for when his skills progressed. 

“This kid is redshirting because he's good enough,” Izzo said after 2024’s season-opening win over Monmouth. “He's not redshirting because he's not good enough."

For Teng, development took a different route. While McCulloch sat on the bench for 37 games, Teng got freshman minutes at the end of blowout games where he’d chuck up inconsequential threes. The fan-favorite shooting guard took a giant leap last season, averaging close to 20 minutes a game. He became a consistent role player for a Spartan team that desperately needed help from deep. Teng averaged 7.2 points per game on 38.5% from three.

“It sucks to come off the bench," Teng said. "It sucks to not play."

But the past is the past. Now, the two are using the lessons they’ve learned over two years of bench play to become stars on this season’s eager-eyed team.

Having that shared experience while being "down" has been "great," Teng said, as somebody "understands what you're going through."

McCulloch and Teng spend dinners in their apartment outlining plans to become the standout players they envisioned when coming to MSU.

“Me and Kur definitely have had some really deep conversations on how we can get better each and every day, and how we can push each other to get to the point where we're both stars in our role,” McCulloch said. 

Over the summer, McCulloch toiled at the gym in the quiet of a student-less East Lansing. There was a constant reminder of where he was last year.

“It's definitely something you have in mind, but it's really for yourself in that you can better yourself, and because you know that your teammates need you,” McCulloch said.

That training has paid off, with Izzo saying McCulloch has been the biggest surprise heading into the season. In MSU’s first exhibition game against Incarnate Word, McCulloch scored a career-high 20 points on 61.5% shooting in 21 minutes. It was the longest that MSU’s stretch big has played in a game and the first time he’s started, albeit in an exhibition.

“I mean, the seniors are supposed to make progress, but for Jesse, he came on, and when everybody went home, he stayed here,” Izzo said. “You get what you deserve in most things in life, and I think he's one that got what he deserved.”

Teng scored 9 points on the night with a trio of long balls, but his excitement was infectious for his best friend’s breakout game. The game was a long time coming for McCulloch, who will have a spot in the starting lineup going forward, Izzo said.

“I was so happy for him,” Teng said. “Whenever he's working hard, I want to work just right with him. That's just a part of that bond, and we're gonna continue to do that for each other.”

The bond between Teng and McCulloch isn’t mutually exclusive. The team visited Izzo’s lake house in Grand Haven, Michigan, in August, where they played volleyball, football and baseball. The day of bonding ahead of a stressful and enduring basketball season has made all 15 players inseparable. 

Nights are dedicated to playing NBA 2K, heading to the theatre for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey" and cheering on fellow Spartan teams. At MSU men’s soccer’s home rivalry match against Michigan on Oct. 13, McCulloch and about five fellow teammates stood at the front of the student section, amping up the crowd.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MSU Men’s Basketball (@michiganstatebasketball)

As for team NBA 2K nights, freshman guard Carlos Medlock Jr. said that although he’s one of the team’s best, Teng is always a tough challenge.

“It’s kind of a hobby for us,” Teng said. “They’re gonna try to say I lose all the time, but I really be whooping them the whole time.”

The group bonding moments are paramount for a team that wants to see itself in Detroit in April. Their chemistry outside Breslin Center has quickly translated onto the court, where collective trust in teammates is essential.

“Ever since that day, we've been with each other 24/7 almost every day,” McCulloch said. “We're always together, and we got to bring that togetherness onto the court with our communication, and keep being able to be so close-knit.”

Back in their shared apartment, McCulloch takes pride in his steak quesadillas while Teng’s sister recently taught him a recipe for sambusa, an East African and Middle Eastern fried pastry and a McCulloch favorite. 

“That's my brother, man," Teng said. "Nothing less than that."