Oct 28, 2025; Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) drives to the basket against Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Preview: MSU's Sweet 16 Game vs. UConn

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 11:30 AM ET

Two wins from a Final Four. Four wins from a national championship.

The lights of March have been turned up even brighter. Third-seeded Michigan State is here for the 17th time under Tom Izzo, but faces its toughest challenger yet in its quest for Izzo's ninth Final Four and the 11th in program history against 2-seed UConn. The victor here goes on to face either 1-seed Duke or 5-seed St. John's on Sunday (time TBA) during the Elite Eight.

TV Info

Tip-Off: approximately 9:45 p.m. ET

Channel: CBS

Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play); Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst); Tracy Wolfson (sidelines)

Radio Info - Spartan Media Network

Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM), WJIM (1240 AM)

Detroit: WJR (760 AM)

Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)

Other radio stations from around the state of Michigan can be found RIGHT HERE.

Announcers: Will Tieman (play-by-play); Matt Steigenga (color analyst); Zach Surdenik (host)

Learn about the Huskies

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

There are definitely some similarities between the way Connecticut and Michigan State play basketball. Both teams have very good to elite frontcourts, aren't super reliant on three-pointers, and are led by the best passers in their respective conferences. MSU's Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the nation with 9.4 assists per game, and UConn's Silas Demary Jr. leads the Big East with 6.1 assists per game.

UConn has been a bit inconsistent this year, though. There are times when the Huskies look like they can win the national championship, but there are other times when they take a bad home loss to Creighton, lose to 12-20 Marquette, and also times when St. John's crushes the Huskies by 20 in the Big East Tournament title game.

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban lead the way in UConn's frontcourt. Reed has averaged 20.5 points and 20.0 rebounds in two tournament games, including a 31-point, 27-rebound night against Furman in the first round. Karaban already has two championship rings and has averaged 24.5 points in the NCAA Tournament, dropping 27 against UCLA in the second round.

This is still a program that becomes deadly this late into March Madness, though. Connecticut has gone on to win the national title each of the last four times it has reached the Sweet Sixteen, with two of those championships happening under Dan Hurley in 2023 and 2024. Michigan State is actually the last program to beat UConn in the Sweet Sixteen or later, taking the Huskies down in the Final Four in 2009.