Mar 30, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo during the second half in the South Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament against the Auburn Tigers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

This MSU Program Record is Unlikely to Break Anytime Soon

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated May 8, 2025 2:05 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans are bound to look a little different going into the next season, as several players from the 2024-25 team have either graduated, declared for the 2025 NBA Draft or have taken their talents elsewhere through the transfer portal.

That being said, change is good. The Spartans have proven over the years that they will always be competitive with head coach Tom Izzo leading the charge. Going into next season, Izzo remains as head coach, so MSU will find a way to get things done.

One area that the Spartans did struggle with last season, however, was their success beyond the arc. MSU had the worst shooting percentage when taking 3-point shots in the Big Ten conference last season, earning an overall success rate of 31.1%.

This wasn't always the case, though. A season before, MSU held the third-best shooting percentage from deep, and the year before that led the conference. While the shooting capabilities will always fluctuate with whoever is on the roster that season, one school record might be intact for quite some time.

For example, last season, former Spartan guard Jaden Akins led the program with successful 3-point shots, draining 58 over his 1,006 minutes of playing time. A year before that, Akins and former Spartan Tyson Walker both led the MSU program with 64 made 3s.

While the production from deep decreased, it was nowhere near the school record, which was set during the 1994-95 season. Former Spartan and eventual first-round draft pick Shawn Respert holds the MSU record for most made 3s in a season for the Spartans, as he sank 119.

Some have been close, such as Drew Neitzel in 2006-2007, as he hit 114 that season. Or even more recently, Bryn Forbes in the 2015-16 campaign, draining 112. But since the 2014-2015 season, no Spartan has been able to hit more than 100 3-pointers for the program.

Of the top five leaders in program history, only two of them were selected to go to the NBA, that being Respert (eighth overall) and Denzel Valentine (14th overall).

While history is meant to be set and broken, seeing how the Spartans haven't touched triple digits beyond the arc by one player in quite some time, some other record has a better chance of being broken before that one does.

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

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