MSU's Izzo Compares Kohler to Spartan Legend

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Mar 3, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers by the final score of 71-62 on Sunday. The MSU victory not only put the program into the top spot in the Big Ten standings by a full game, but it also eliminated the Badgers from contending for the Big Ten Title.

Now that the Big Ten is a two-team race, the Spartans will need more of what they got from their star players on Sunday in the remaining games. One player that caught everyone's attention in the victory was junior forward Jaxon Kohler.

Kohler has been reliable for Coach Tom Izzo all season long, but something must have seen red in Sunday's battle, and not just the red of Wisconsin's jerseys. Kohler broke out for his seventh double-double of the 2024-2025 campaign.

Ending the game with 16 rebounds and 10 points in 30 minutes of action, Kohler put the defense on his back to end any kind of momentum the Badgers could have possessed. His 16 rebounds also set a personal collegiate career high. The performance got Izzo thinking about a former Spartan legend with the same playing style as Kohler.

After the game, Izzo compared Kohler to one of the best players he's coached in the 30 years he's been at the helm.

"Monster heart, just like [Xavier] Tillman," Izzo said. "He is just an animal to go there. He does it in our practices. ... There's never a day when he doesn't come to practice. There's never a day when he doesn't come to go hard. I once told Zach Randolph -- Zach was there when I recruited him [Kohler]; It was 10 minutes from Zach's house -- I said, 'Z-Bo [Randolph], he's a lot like you, you know?'

"I'm not sure he ever gets a dunk in college, but he can rebound, and he's got some Z-Bo qualities. He's got good hands. He just has a nose for the ball. He's like a great linebacker."

The Spartan forward has been the defensive standout for MSU this season. All year long, Kohler has ranked within the top 10 in the Big Ten in rebounding. While he hasn't cracked the top five, Kohler's defensive prowl has aided the Spartans to where they are now.

The victory pushed MSU's winning streak to five games as they prepare to hit the road one more time this season for a matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

After that, MSU will host its in-state rivals, the Michigan Wolverines, in what could be the Big Ten Title deciding game. But first, Kohler and the rest of MSU's priorities lie with the Hawkeyes.

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

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