EAST LANSING— Michigan State men’s basketball opened conference play on a high note with a dominate double-digit win over Minnesota, 90-72, on Wednesday.
In Minneapolis, MSU improved from behind the arc and put up a season-high three-point performance, 50%. The Spartans had the Gophers beat in all shooting including threes, from the floor (52.7%) and from the free throw line (80.8%). They also won the rebound battle (39-27) and led in assists (25), steals (five) and blocks (five).
The Spartans dominated the Gophers in fast break points with a 27-2 advantage. However, MSU turned it over nine times which turned into 14 points for Minnesota.
Sophomore forward Coen Carr led the Spartans in points with 12. Three more Spartans joined Carr in double-digits including junior forward Jaxon Kohler (11), sophomore forward Xavier Booker and redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (10).
MSU will be looking to continue to defend its home court with Nebraska coming to town on Saturday. The Spartans are currently 4-0 at the Breslin Center.
Scouting Nebraska
Nebraska is coming off a big 31-point win over North Florida on Sunday. The Cornhuskers secured their first 100-point game since 2021 with a 103-72 victory.
The Huskers also put up season-high shooting with a 58% shooting percentage from the field. Nebraska had five players in double-digits and were led by junior guard Connor Essegian with 22.
Essegian is coming off a career-high performance and is currently averaging 25.5 points per game with 56% shooting in the field. He has tied and set career highs in points (29), assists (five) and steals (two). Essegian had two 20-point games in the past week.
The Cornhuskers will be opening their conference play on the road for the sixth season in a row this weekend. MSU leads the all-time series 23-10, dating all the way back to 1920.
Nebraska is 3-16 against MSU since joining the Big Ten and the last win they claimed over the Spartans in East Lansing was in 2016 where they got a slim 72-71 win.
Tip-off is set for noon on Saturday. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Matt Merrifield and Allie Cohen locally on 88.9 FM or at impact89fm.org/listen-live/.
