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Michigan State

Tom Izzo tells fans, media 'don't be fooled' by Michigan State's performance vs. Kentucky

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax2 hours agoBarkleyTruax
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Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks to Coen Carr during the second half in the game against San Jose State on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Michigan State‘s impressive 83-66 win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic improved the Spartans to 4-0 on the young season. The Spartans had their best shooting performance of the year against the Wildcats, scoring a new season-high along the way.

Head coach Tom Izzo isn’t sure his team will be able to keep that type of shooting performance up on a nightly basis — 50 percent from the floor (32-64) and deep (11-22). Prior to Tuesday’s game at Madison Square Garden, Michigan State had not shot about 30 percent from beyond the arc this season.

“What I’m proudest, though, with this team, where it’s getting a little bit like last year, it’s very unselfish,” Izzo said after beating the Wildcats on Tuesday night. “25 assists on 32 baskets. The other day it was 24 assists on 28 baskets. I still think we’ve got some more upside. I think our running game can get better.

“But don’t be fooled. We weren’t that good because we don’t shoot the ball that well, and they weren’t that bad because they do shoot the ball well and missed a lot of shots. The combination of things worked for us tonight. That is a very talented, good team. Mark (Pope) is a good coach. I’m just proud of my guys.”

Coming into the matchup, Michigan State had made just 13 three-pointers on the season. They nearly doubled their season total against the Wildcats. Spartans starters Trey Fort and Jaxon Kohler led the charge with five of the 11 made triples in the victory.

Off the bench, Kur Teng scored 15 points in 18 minutes for his squad. He went 3-7 from deep and added two assists and a rebound to his total. Spartans forwards Coen Carr and Jesse McCulloch combined for the other three treys from Michigan State to round out the effort against Kentucky.

“We still found a way to win against a quality team, and a bunch of our great fans in New York,” Izzo said. “… I just want to say that I was proud of my guys for how they responded in a big setting.”

Next up for the Spartans is a home stand against Detroit Mercy before taking part in the Fort Myers Tip-Off during Thanksgiving week. They’re set to match up against East Carolina and North Carolina during the mid-season event to round out the first month of the season.