Michigan Statebasketball is about to learn how it measures up against one of the nation's best teams.
The Spartans are hosting UConn for an exhibition battle at the Breslin Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, B1G+). MSU fell to the Huskies in the Sweet Sixteen last year and saw Connecticut reach the national title game. The preseason AP Poll hasn't come out yet, but KenPom has Michigan State at No. 7 in the country and UConn at No. 11 entering the 2026-27 season.
March 27, 2026; Washington, D.C.; Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. readies to shoot a free throw against UConn during the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI
Tuesday's matchup will be the second of three preseason games for both programs. MSU handled Incarnate Word at home, 89-59, back on Oct. 2. UConn took down Syracuse at a pro-Husky neutral site, 72-52, on Oct. 13.
Exhibition games don't necessarily indicate how a season will go, but they can still be interesting data points and a good testing ground for both Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley. The performances from these three players feel particularly important:
One of the pleasant surprises from the Incarnate Word exhibition was true freshman center Ethan Taylor . He's one of the biggest swing pieces on the 2026-27 roster. Taylor had a bit of a down senior season while playing at Link Academy in Missouri, but his height at 7'1" and raw athleticism were enough to get him high 4-star status. Taylor's passing ability for his age and position is also impressive.
There is looking good against Incarnate Word, and then there is looking good against UConn, though. One matchup to watch will be Taylor against Na'jai Hines. He transferred to Storrs from Seton Hall after averaging 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game last season as a freshman.
Michigan State's Cam Ward looks to score against UConn during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena on Friday, March 27, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI
Tuesday will also be the unofficial season debut of sophomore Cam Ward . He was the only Spartan to miss the first exhibition against UIW due to a very minor ankle issue. Izzo has made it clear that he's expecting a lot from Ward this season. It's probable that Ward will be Michigan State's starting power forward, and he's probably going to get some minutes at center this year.
This will be Ward's first chance to show what he's improved upon since the end of last season. Ward only had two points in the Sweet Sixteen against UConn's stout frontcourt. His freshman season was considered an overall success, but Izzo said multiple times that he thought Ward could've been even better had he not suffered a wrist injury that set him back a bit, both physically and mentally.
Michigan State's Jasiah Jervis listens to coaches instructions during the first basketball practice of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Something MSU woefully missed for much of last year was a secondary creator to pair with Jeremy Fears Jr. in the backcourt. That issue only got magnified when Divine Ugochukwu suffered a season-ending foot injury. Freshman two-guard Jasiah Jervis is part of the fix for that. He's the Spartans' highest-ranked incoming freshman this year at 33rd overall in the class of 2026, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
It was a tale of two halves for Jervis against Incarnate Word. He didn't score during the first half and went 0-for-2 from the field. Following the break, though, Jervis went 4-for-4 and scored 10 points. He was one of four Michigan State players in double figures that night, alongside Fears (10), Jordan Scott (16), and Jesse McCulloch (20). How Jervis handles the tougher competition will give MSU a hint at what it could have at the two.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as 3 MSU Players To Watch During Upcoming Exhibition vs. UConn .
