On Thursday, No. 8 Michigan State basketball pulled out all the stops for Senior Night. They defeated Rutgers 91-87, and Jeremy Fears passed Magic Johnson for 3rd on the all-time assists list.
After the game, head coach Tom Izzo let it be known how he felt about his senior players, per Fox College Hoops.
“These players mean the world to me,” Izzo said to Steve Smith.
"These players mean the world to me."
Tom Izzo spoke with Steve Smith on the win and what a special night Senior Night is in East Lansing for @MSU_Basketball. pic.twitter.com/4kQ0cPuuCE
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 6, 2026
The senior players are Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Nick Sanders, Trey Fort, and Denham Wojcik.
Kohler came away with 15 points and seven rebounds. Cooper finished with 14 points and six rebounds. After the game, Cooper reflected upon the moment. Also, he talked about the tradition of kissing the floor, per Jacob Cotsonika of Sports Illustrated.
“It's tough,” Cooper said. “I feel like everything in the world kind of stops, and you're just like in the moment, and everybody's just looking at you, and everybody's just really the most supportive that they can be.”
On Sunday, Michigan State will close out the regular season on the road against No.3 Michigan. Meanwhile, the Spartans are projected to be a No.2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Since 1995, Izzo has been the head coach for the Spartans. Along the way, he has led them to 11 Big Ten regular-season titles, six Big Ten conference championships, and eight Final Fours. In 2000, the Spartans won the NCAA title.
Furthermore, Izzo is an eight-time National Coach of the Year. Plus, he is a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. In 2016, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
