No. 20 MSU Begins Big Ten Play at Wisconsin Sunday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball will play its first true road game of the season with its Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center. The Spartans improved to 8-0 after winning the Baha Mar Hoops Championships in Nassau. Ann Schatz and Christy Winters Scott will be on the call for BTN.

• Wisconsin comes to the Big Ten opener with a 6-3 record. The Badgers are looking to snap a two-game losing streak after losses to Ole Miss and James Madison. Wisconsin holds a perfect 5-0 record at home this season.

• The Spartans are 21-22 in Big Ten openers. Under Coach Fralick, Michigan State is 1-1. Last season, MSU defeated Iowa in the B1G opener and fell to Nebraska in the 2023-24 league opener.

• After the first eight games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assists per game (24.5 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.58). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+17.3).

• Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair registered her second career double-double with a game-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds for her first double-double with points and rebounds, after her first double-double came with 14 points and 12 assists in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25).

SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers enters Sunday's Big Ten Conference opener with a 6-3 overall record, as Sunday's match-up with the ranked Spartans is their second ranked opponent in three contests. Wisconsin lost both of its games at the Daytona Beach Classic in Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend, falling to No. 13 Ole Miss by a palindromic, 65-56, score, after a late comeback fell short in a loss that snapped a five-game winning streak. UW wrapped up its time in the Sunshine State with a 69-50 loss to James Madison.

Offensively, Wisconsin is 15th in the B1G in scoring offense (71.4 ppg), while ranking 16th in the conference in scoring defense (64.3 ppg). The Badgers also are second in the league in both 3-point attempts per game (25.4) and 3-pointers made per game (9.0). UW's defense is third in the B1G and 24th in the NCAA in blocks per game (5.3), led by freshman center Dorja Zaja, who tops the conference and ranks 18th in the country in total blocks with 19.

Wisconsin has a pair of players averaging in double-figure scoring, led by junior guard Kyrah Daniels at 13.2 points per game, while graduate guard Destiny Howell adds 12.4 ppg. Both Daniels and Howell have made 19 3-pointers so far, averaging 2.1 treys made per game, as Howell is making 44.2 percent (19-of-43) of her shots from distance, while Daniels is shooting 31.7 percent (19-of-60) behind the arc.

Robin Pingeton is in her first season leading the Badgers. Prior to guiding Wisconsin, Pingeton spent 15 years at Missouri from 2010-2025, where she led the Tigers to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2016-19), posting a 250-218 record at Mizzou. Overall, Pingeton is in his 31st season as head coach, amassing a 591-378 overall record, with previous stops at her alma mater St. Ambrose (1992-2000) and Illinois State (2003-10).

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BADGERS
Michigan State leads the overall series with Wisconsin, 51-27. The Spartans have won the last contests, including a 91-71 win in East Lansing on Feb. 12, 2025. In that game, Grace VanSlooten led the way with 22 points. Inés Sotelo added 17 points.

In Madison, the Spartans hold a slight edge, 20-19. Michigan State captured wins in Madison in 2023 and 2024. The Spartans hold the series lead 28-7 in East Lansing.
BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
In winning the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division in Nassau, Bahamas, Michigan State won its third tournament title in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick, as the Spartans won the 2023 Cherokee Invitational in Cherokee, N.C., in Coach Franlick's first season, then won the 2024 Acrisure Classic crown last year in Palm Springs, Calif.

DID YOU KNOW?
This is the first time that Michigan State has faced Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener.

BIG TEN OPENERS
MSU won its Big Ten Conference opener, against Iowa last season and is now 21-22 all-time in B1G openers, having won eight of their last 14. The win against Iowa was the first time that the Spartans opened league play with the Hawkeyes since 2021-22 season, and the win avenged that 88-61 loss. During the 2023-24 season, the Spartans fell to Nebraska at home 80-74 on Dec. 9. During the 2022-23 season, the Spartans fell to Purdue at home 76-71 in overtime. During the 2020-21 season, the Spartans won their opener in Minneapolis, 81-68 over the Gophers.

BY THE NUMBERS vs. CLEMSON
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named Tournament MVP of the 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division, while redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair joined her on the All-Tournament team.
Junior guard Rashunda Jones netted 16 points Sunday to notch double-figures for the second game in a row and fifth time in the eight games this season. Jones has 34 points in her last two games after her Spartan career-high 18 points Friday vs. Temple.

GETTING IN THE STARTING LINEUP
After using the same starting lineup for seven games, Michigan State used a different starting lineup against Clemson on Nov. 30. After an injury to Theryn Hallock, MSU went with the lineup for senior forward Grace VanSlooten, senior forward Marah Dykstra, senior guard Emma Shumate, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. MSU is 1-0 with that lineup.
LOOKING AT THE NET
In the current women's basketball NET ranking, the Spartans stand No. 7. They are third among Big Ten schools behind No. 3 Michigan and No. 5 UCLA. UConn stands No. 1.

SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
After the first eight games, Michigan State stands first in the nation in assists per game (24.5 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.58). The Spartans are also tops in the NCAA in turnover margin (+17.3). Michigan State is also second in the nation and first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 96.4 ppg. MSU has also been strong on the defensive end of the ball, standing sixth in the country in steals per game (16.1 spg). Junior guard Rashunda Jones is fifth in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (4.00).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten's 11 points and 10 rebounds against Temple on Nov. 28 was MSU's second double-double this season, joining redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair's 14 point-12 assist outing in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25). In the championship game against Clemson on Nov. 30, Blair added her second double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 boards in the win.

While VanSlooten logged her first double-double of the season, it was the eighth of her career.

LAST TIME OUT
Led by a 22-point performance by redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair, the No. 20/21 MSU women's basketball team defeated Clemson,72-64, to win the Baha Mar Nassau Junkanoo Division Championship on Sunday night.

This is the third tournament that the Spartans have won in head coach Robyn Fralick's third season. Last year, MSU won the Acrisure Classic and during the 2023-24 season it won the Cherokee Invitational.

Grace VanSlooten was named MVP of the tournament, while Kennedy Blair was named to the all-tournament team.

BIG TIME BIG TEN NUMBERS
The Spartans are first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 96.4 ppg. Michigan State is also first in scoring margin (+46.0). The Spartans stand first in 3-point field goal percentage (.432).

Individually, Rashunda Jones is second in the league in steals per game, averaging 3.4 spg, while senior forward Grace VanSlooten is sixth (2.6 spg). Kennedy Blair is also third in assists with 6.1 apg. Jones is first in the B1G in assist/turnover ratio (4.00).

PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS
The Spartans topped 100 points for the second game in a row as part of the third time this season against Oakland on Nov. 23, marking the second-straight season that MSU has reached the century mark three times, which also came in the Spartans' first six games of the season. MSU also scored 100 points in game six last year, with a 101-44 Victory for MSU over Detroit Mercy, which was its third 100-point outing.

Michigan State's 102 points against Oakland on Nov. 23 marked the Spartans' sixth time out of six games scoring 90+ points. MSU continues its program history making stretch of scoring 90+ in the first six games of the season. Last season, the Spartans scored 90+ points in the first four games, but only 79 points in game five, finishing the year with six total games scoring 90+ points, as this year's MSU squad has now tied that mark of six games with 90+ games through the just the first six games of the season.

WELCOME BACK
After tearing her ACL on Jan. 22, 2025 against Penn State, Juliann Woodard returned to the lineup against Eastern Michigan. Woodard entered the game at the 3:46 mark of the fourth quarter. At the 3:39 point, she drained her first shot, which was a 3-pointer. Her trey gave the Spartans a 32-point advantage.

STRONG BENCH
Against Oakland on Nov. 23, Michigan State's bench out-scored the Grizzlies 37-9. The Spartans' 59 points scored by their bench was more than Eastern Illinois' entire team scoring of 53 points on Nov. 20. This season, the MSU bench has out-scored opponents 318-138.

RANKED TEAMS IN BIG TEN
This Big Ten continues to be one of the toughest conferences in the country with three teams in the top 10 in the rankings. In the AP poll, UCLA is No. 4, while Michigan and Maryland stand No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. No. 11. Iowa holds the No. 11 spot followed by No. 16 USC. Michigan State (No. 20) and Washington (No. 21) round out the group.

ADDING UP THE ACCOLADES
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time. She was one of 50 players named to the watch list that honors the best players in the nation.
VanSlooten is one of 13 Big Ten players named to the watch list, including her team USA teammate Hannah Stuelke from Iowa. VanSlooten was also named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team earlier this month as well the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT
After missing all of the 2024-25 season and much of the 2023-24 season, senior forward Isaline Alexander returned to action on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst. Alexander scored a career-high 20 points against Western Michigan. She topped her previous career-high of 17 points from Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Central Michigan for her first career 20-point outing and just her seventh career double-figure scoring outing .

She netted her career-best 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the floor, also a career-high, bettering her previous career-high field goal outing of seven field goals, vs. Oregon (11/27/22).

OH WHAT A NIGHT!
With her career-best 25 points against Oakland on Nov. 23, redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is the second Spartan to score 20 points this season, as well as the first MSU player with 25 or more points since Theryn Hallock netted 29 points last year at Ohio State (2/26/25).

One game earlier against Eastern Illinois, Blair became the first Spartan player with 15 or more rebounds since former Spartan great Julia Ayrault had 15 boards, nearly two years to the day, on Nov. 23, 2023, vs. James Madison.

HOLDING ON TO THE BALL
The Spartans only had three turnovers on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst, also setting a school record for fewest turnovers, bettering the previous record of five done three previous times, first done in a 56-55 win at Northwestern on Jan. 22, 1989, then again in a 76-69 win vs. Stanford on March 29, 2005 and most recently in a 68-66 win over Toledo on March 18, 2018.

SEASON OPENERS
Michigan State won its 12th-straight season-opener and three in a row under head coach Robyn Fralick. MSU's last season-opening loss was on Nov. 11, 2013 at #6/7 Notre Dame. The Spartans have won 16-consecutive home openers, as their last loss in the first home game of the season was on Nov. 19, 2009 vs. #5/6 Notre Dame.

VANSLOOTEN EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
Michigan State women's basketball senior forward Grace VanSlooten was named 2025-26 Preseason All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. In her first season with the Spartans, VanSlooten earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. She was first on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. She scored a career-high 480 points her junior season. She was tied for 15th in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. In a win against, Vanderbilt at the Acrisure Classic on Nov. 27, she scored her 1,000th career point.

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
Three players earned gold medals for their home countries this summer. Grace VanSlooten won the FIBA Women's Americup for Team USA. Marah Dykstra won gold for Canada in the FIBA 3x3 Junior Pan American Games. Inés Sotelo and Spain won a gold medal in the 2025 FIBA Eurobasket.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Abbey Kimball as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2025-26 women's basketball team. This is the first time that either has been named a captain for Michigan State. VanSlooten is in her second season with MSU after transferring from Oregon. Kimball is in her fourth season as a Spartan.

NEW DIGS
The Spartans welcome four transfers to the 2025-26 season. Rashunda Jones is a junior guard, who comes to Michigan State after two years at Purdue. Marah Dykstra is a senior forward who spent three season at Montana State in the Big Sky Conference. Jalyn Brown is the second-straight player to come to MSU from Arizona State. The guard played two seasons at ASU. Last season, senior Jaddan Simmons spent one season with MSU. Finally, Sara Sambolić is a junior guard from Slovenia who transferred from the University of Ljubljana.

ROBYN FRALICK RADIO SHOW
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Robyn Fralick started her weekly radio call-in show, the Robyn Fralick Radio Show, on Nov. 18 at One North Kitchen and Bar. Coach Fralick joins host Dalton Shetler, the Spartans' play-by-play voice, from 12-1 p.m., for an in-depth look into the MSU women's basketball program. The show is held at One North Kitchen and Bar on 1310 Abbott in East Lansing.

Radio Show Dates
Tuesday, Dec. 9
Tuesday, Dec. 16
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Tuesday, Jan. 20
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Tuesday, Feb. 3
Tuesday Feb. 10
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Tuesday, Feb. 24

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Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Julia Ayrault

Kennedy Blair

Jalyn Brown

Marah Dykstra

Theryn Hallock

Rashunda Jones

Abbey Kimball

Emma Shumate

Jaddan Simmons

Grace VanSlooten

Juliann Woodard