Saturday, December 20
Detroit, Mich.
12 PM
Michigan State University
vs
Oakland
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
No. 9 Michigan State Meets Oakland on Saturday Afternoon at Little Caesars Arena
12/19/2025 9:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 9 Michigan State returns to the Motor City this weekend, playing Oakland University at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 20 (noon, BTN).
This will be the eighth game the Spartans have played at LCA (6-1) and the fifth time the team is squaring off against Oakland. MSU is coming off a 92-69 win over Toledo at home on Tuesday night.
Saturday's game will air live on BTN, with Jason Ross Jr. and Bruce Weber calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play, Kevin Pauga serving as the color analyst and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 139 or 195 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
Anyone, Any Time, Any Place, Any Where
This will be the eighth game the Spartans have played at LCA (6-1) and the fifth time the team is squaring off against Oakland. MSU is coming off a 92-69 win over Toledo at home on Tuesday night.
Saturday's game will air live on BTN, with Jason Ross Jr. and Bruce Weber calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play, Kevin Pauga serving as the color analyst and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 139 or 195 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
- Michigan State enters Saturday's game with a 10-1 overall record (2-0 Big Ten) and are coming off a 92-69 win over Toledo on Tuesday.
- The Spartans are No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 9 in the ESPN Coaches poll.
- MSU is No. 10 in the NCAA Net Rankings and No. 11 per KenPom.
- The Spartans are No. 13 in the country in assists per game (19.4), with Jeremy Fears Jr. leading the country with 9.5 dimes per game (and 105 total).
- MSU ranks No. 2 in the country in rebound margin (+13.6) and Kohler is second in the Big Ten, and No. 19 nationally, with 10.1 rpg.
- The Spartans are No. 12 nationally in scoring defense (62.7 ppg) and ranks No. 5 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
- Through 11 games, the Spartans have four players scoring in double figures, eight averaging at least 5.0 ppg and nine averaging at least 13.0 minutes.
- Jaxon Kohler leads the team in scoring with 14.0 ppg and tops the team with 10.1 rpg (2nd B1G, #19 nationally).
- Kohler, who has six double-doubles, grabbed 18 rebounds against San Jose State, the most by an MSU player since Miles Bridges had 21 against Savannah State in 2018, and has scored in double figures 11 times this year.
- Jeremy Fears Jr., who leads the team with 30.8 minutes played, is second on the team with 11.5 ppg and is handing out 9.5 assists per game, leading all of Division I.
- Coen Carr, one of the most athletic players in all of college basketball, is third on the team with 10.6 ppg, third on the team with 4.7 rpg and third with 1.5 apg in 28.8 mpg.
- Carson Cooper, who had 16 points and a career-best 16 rebounds vs. Duke, is playing a career-high 25.0 minutes, is fourth on the team with 10.1 ppg and second with 7.2 rpg.
- Cam Ward is fifth on the team with 7.0 ppg and fourth with 4.4 rpg and Kur Teng, who scored a career-high 15 points against Kentucky, is averaging 6.5 ppg.
- Divine Ugochukwu, who scored a career-high 23 points at Penn State, is averaging 5.5 ppg in 13.3 mpg, Trey Fort is tallying 4.9 ppg and Jordan Scott adds 3.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 15.9 mpg.
Anyone, Any Time, Any Place, Any Where
- Tom Izzo has consistently played one of the toughest schedules in America.
- With a willingness to play at home, on the road or a neutral site, his list of regular-season non-conference opponents reads like a who's who of top college basketball programs.
- MSU ranks No. 18 nationally in the NET Strength of Schedule and No. 7 in non-conference strength.
- The 2025-26 home schedule is arguably the best in program history, with home non-conference games against Arkansas (W, 69-66) and Duke (L, 66-60) ... In addition to 10 Big Ten contests, MSU will host 12 power conference opponents for the first time in the Izzo Era.
- Michigan State's challenging schedule through the opening month-plus has provided opportunities for the Spartans as well.
- The Spartans are one of only six teams nationally with four Quad 1 wins, notching wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Iowa ... The only other schools with four Quad 1 wins are Duke, Gonzaga, Arizona, UConn and Michigan.
- The Spartans, who have made the highest climb in the Associated Press poll from No. 22 in the preseason to a current rank of No. 9, have played six games against high-major opponents, including four-straight games (North Carolina, Iowa, Duke and Penn State).
- MSU's 10-1 start to the season is its best since the 2017-18 season.
- When Michigan State and Oakland meet on Saturday afternoon, the game will be a matchup of two of the longest-tenured coaches in Division I history.
- Oakland Head Coach Greg Kampe has been on the sidelines for the Golden Grizzlies for 42 years and is the longest-tenured head coach at one school in Division I.
- Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo is in his 31st season as the head coach of the Spartans and is tied for 9th among active Division I head coaches.
- Combined, the two head coaches have 1,468 wins (Izzo with 747, Kampe with 721).
- Michigan State returns to play in Motown for the eighth time.
- The Spartans have a 6-1 all-time record at Little Caesars Arena.
- MSU's last game at LCA was a 77-58 win over Oakland on Dec. 17, 2024.
- This will be the fifth time Michigan State has played the Golden Grizzlies at the home of the Detroit Pistons.
- Oakland enters the game on Saturday with a 6-6 overall, including a 2-0 mark in the Horizon League.
- The Golden Grizzlies have won four of their last five games, including an 82-77 conference win at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday night.
- Oakland, picked to finish in fourth place in the Horizon League, opened the season with losses at Michigan (121-78), Purdue (87-77) and Houston (78-45).
- Senior forward Tuburu Naivalurua, named the league's preseason player of the year by Blue Ribbon, is averaging 12.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg.
- The Golden Grizzlies added 10 transfers in the off-season, including senior guard Brody Robinson, who is scoring 16.3 ppg and has hit 37.1 percent of his 3-point attempts (23-of-62).
- Michigan State and Oakland meet for the 24th time in program history, with the Spartans leading the head-to-head series, 23-0.
- The Spartans beat the Golden Grizzlies last year, 77-58, at the Little Caesars Arena.
- The teams first played on Nov. 17, 1998 at Oakland, a 98-66 MSU win.
- MSU and Oakland have played in each of the last 13 seasons and 19 of the last 20 overall.
Players Mentioned
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