Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr., right, makes a 3-pointer as San Jose State's Colby Garland defends during the second half on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Diving Into MSU's Improved Three-Point Shooting

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans are 5-0 and set to take on the East Carolina Pirates this afternoon.

MSU is a heavy favorite in the game, as ESPN Analytics gives Tom Izzo’s squad a 96.8 percent chance to win. The Spartans should be 6-0 heading into the heavily anticipated Thanksgiving Day matchup with North Carolina.

The Spartans have been firing on all cylinders this season, picking up two impressive non-conference victories against Arkansas and Kentucky. If MSU can take down at least one of UNC or Duke, Izzo’s team will have one of the most impressive resumes come March.

One of the reasons the team is off to such a hot start is the improvements it has made beyond the three-point line. MSU was famously bad at shooting from deep last season, despite a run to the Elite Eight.

The Spartans were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in college basketball last season, connecting on only 31.1 percent of their threes, ranking 324th in the nation.

If MSU could have hit a few more outside shots against Auburn, it could have reached the Final Four. But the team struggled from deep and was eliminated by the Tigers.

This year, MSU is still not connecting on its three-pointers at a high clip, but things have improved since the poor showing against San Jose State last week. The Spartans are hitting on 29.4 percent of their attempts, but they have shot it better in the last two games.

Against Kentucky, the Spartans hit on half their attempts, making 11-of-22 threes in the Champions Classic blowout. That included three from Trey Fort and Kur Teng, while Jaxon Kohler hit two.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While Detroit Mercy was not the toughest opponent, the Spartans connected on eight three-pointers in the home victory. The percentages might not be where Izzo wants them to be, but the team is clearly better at shooting from the outside than last season.

Part of that is due to the emergence of Teng and the arrival of Fort from Samford out of the transfer portal. Those two have shot the ball with confidence and are connecting on good looks from the outside.

Another reason the team is more threatening to opposing defenses from beyond the arc is the improvements from Kohler and point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. Those two have become reliable scorers from the outside, which should continue as the season progresses.

Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU has run its offense efficiently, and the team continues to get good looks from the outside. As the Spartans become more comfortable playing together, their shooting should continue to improve.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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