UConn basketball will soon engage in a heavyweight March Madness showdown with Michigan State. Two previous national title winners in Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley are going to out-coach one another. Both powers bring a plethora of star power in this Sweet 16 matchup.
Hurley handed Izzo his roses before the Friday tilt in the East Regional at Washington D.C. He even admitted to the Pat McAfee Show that he gets some of his coaching style from observing Izzo.
"I feel like I got a responsibility to those old school coaches to continue to have those values with the way I put together strong teams and develop strong men."
—UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley on the impact of old school coaches on his coaching style 🏀
(via… pic.twitter.com/uueGoBaJo4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 25, 2026
Hurley's team looks like the far superior one, however. The Big East powerhouse is led by dominating big man Tarris Reed Jr. at center, who's averaging 14.2 points per game with 8.9 rebounds. Alex Karaban forms a stout frontcourt tandem with Reed, averaging 13.3 PPG on his end.
Reed and Karaban will get their touches and aim to wear down the Spartans. But they're not the X-factor entering the Capital One Arena.
Silas Demary Jr. plays pivotal role for UConn
Jeremy Fears of Michigan State is the more feared scorer and facilitator on the Spartans' side.
That's where the guard Demary enters the picture.
Demary is the fifth Huskies player to average in double figures for scoring. He won over UConn fans with this thunderous one-handed dunk against St. John's earlier this season.
Hurley needs him on the defensive side, however.
The 6-foot-4 guard picks pockets on the court, leading UConn with 1.7 steals. He's entering Friday with a streak of hitting two during his last three games. He's also forced three or five steals in a single game before.
The junior from Raleigh, NC is one of the top turnovers creators for the Huskies. He'll be trusted to slow down Fears' attacks to the rim.
Who else must UConn account for?
Coen Carr led MSU with 21 points against Louisville from his forward spot. He's a deadly post scoring machine when he draws one-on-ones down low.
But Reed and Karaban figure to double team the shorter 6-foot-6 post option. Hence why Fears plays the critical role in getting the Spartans going offensively.
Hurley's defensive system forces perimeter pressure especially in identifying screens. He's reeled in long-armed defenders like Demary to force ill-timed shooting attempts. The Feb. 28 UConn rout of St. John's shines a light on the presence of Demary, as the Red Storm struggled getting the 3-pointer going.
Demary doesn't need to go off on the scoring end to seal the round of 16 victory. He just needs to bottle MSU's other scoring threat to turn this into a Huskies win and Elite Eight appearance.
