Free Press sports writer Chris Solari down Friday’s East region semifinal game between No. 11 Michigan State basketball (per the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll) and No. 7 Connecticut:
Fast facts
Matchup: 3-seed Michigan State (27-7, 15-5 Big Ten) vs. 2-seed Connecticut (31-5, 17-3 Big East); NCAA Tournament East region Sweet 16.
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Tipoff 9:45 p.m., Friday, March 27; Capital One Arena, Washington.
TV/radio: CBS; WJR-AM (760).
At stake: Winner faces Friday’s winner of 1-seed Duke vs. 5-seed St. John’s on Sunday for spot in Final Four in Indianapolis.
About Michigan State basketball: Meet the Spartans
Oct 28, 2025; Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) fights for a rebound against Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Location: East Lansing.
Coach: Tom Izzo (31 seasons at MSU, 764-309 career).
School tournament record: 78-37 in 38 appearances.
Past 10 games: 7-3.
Scoring leaders: Jeremy Fears Jr., 15.3 points per game; Jaxon Kohler, 12.6; Coen Carr, 12; Carson Cooper, 11.
Rebounding leaders: Kohler, 9 per game; Cooper, 7.1; Carr, 5.5.
Assist leaders: Fears, 9.4 per game; Cooper, 1.4; Kohler, 1.3; Carr, 1.2.
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3-point leaders: Jesse McCulloch, 50%; Kohler; 39.3%; Kur Teng, 38.4%; Trey Fort, 36.7%.
All stats entering Monday.
The buzz: The Spartans advanced to Tom Izzo’s 17th Sweet 16 during his record streak of 28 straight NCAA appearances with a 77-69 victory over 6-seed Louisville on Saturday, March 22, in Buffalo, New York. Fears broke MSU’s single-game NCAA tournament assist record with 16, while Carr scored 21 points with a career-high 10 rebounds. Fort also gave MSU a spark off the bench with 19 points between the win over the Cardinals and Thursday’s first-round victory over North Dakota State.
The Spartans faced UConn in an exhibition game on Oct. 28 in Hartford, Connecticut, won by Huskies, 76-69. The final score was deceptive, as UConn led by as many as 19 points in the second half before MSU mounted a furious comeback in the final two minutes. The two teams combined for 56 fouls in that game, with Fears getting 14 points and six assists but turning it over six times. Carr added 11 points, while Kohler and Cooper combined for 22 points and 22 rebounds. Alex Karaban and Solo Ball each scored 18 points for the Huskies, who went 23-for-30 at the line and hit nine 3-pointers.
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The Spartans and Huskies are tied 4-4 all-time in a series that began with an MSU loss on Dec. 5, 1998, early in Izzo’s fourth season that resulted in his first of eight Final Four appearances. The two teams each have a win over the other in the NCAAs, with the Spartans winning in the 2009 Final Four in Detroit and the Huskies preventing Izzo from getting to another in 2014 in the Elite Eight. MSU has won the past two meetings in November tournaments (2017 PK80 and 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis), though current UConn coach was only around for the latter.
About Connecticut: Meet the Huskies
Oct 28, 2025; Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) drives to the basket defended by Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) during the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Location: Storrs, Connecticut.
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Coach: Dan Hurley (196-74 in eight seasons at UConn, 347-279 in 16 seasons overall).
School tournament record: 74-33 in 39 appearances.
Past 10 games: 7-3.
Scoring leaders: Tarris Reed Jr., 14.3; Solo Ball, 13.4; Alex Karaban, 12.9; Braylon Mullins, 12; Silas Demary Jr., 10.9.
Rebounding leaders: Reed. 8.7; Karaban, 5.2; Demary, 4.5; Eric Reibe, 3.7.
Assist leaders: Demary, 6.2; Malachi Smith, 2.8; Reed, 2.4; Karaban, 2.3.
3-point leaders: Smith 46.3%; Demary, 41.6%; Karaban, 38.9%; Mullins, 33%.
All stats entering Sunday.
The buzz: The Huskies knocked off 7-seed UCLA on Sunday night in Philadelphia, 73-57. Karaban had a career high 27 points, including four 3-pointers, while Mullins scored 17 and Reed had his second straight double-double in the NCAAs, with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
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A former Michigan big man, Reed had a dominating 31-point, 27-rebound performance in UConn’s 82-71 first-round win over 15-seed Furman on Friday. The 6-11, 265-pound Reed played four games against MSU in two seasons with the Wolverines, posting a combined 20 points and 20 rebounds in a pair of losses in the 2023-24 season. He did not play in the October exhibition game against the Spartans.
Against the Bruins, who knocked MSU out of the Big Ten Tournament on March 13, the Huskies hit eight 3-pointers and outrebounded UCLA, 36-24, to overcome 16 turnovers. Jayden Ross added 11 points. Hurley is looking for his third national title in the past four years after winning it all in 2023 and 2024.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball Sweet 16 vs UConn, scouting the matchup
