University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, February 4
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
11-12,4-8Big Ten
76
vs
73
Michigan State
19-4,9-3Big Ten
1
2
F
Michigan St.
21
52
73
Minnesota
32
44
76
Team Stats
MSU
MINN
FG%
.448
.478
3FG%
.375
.476
FT%
.706
.710
RB
39
23
TO
9
6
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Earn Third Ranked Win In Upset over No. 10 Michigan State
2/4/2026 9:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had 22 points and seven rebounds, Cade Tyson scored 17 points, and Langston Reynolds scored 14 points and dished out eight assists, as Minnesota (11-12, 4-8) built a 16-point lead and fought off a furious rally to No. 10/10 Michigan State (19-4, 9-3), 76-73, at Williams Arena. Minnesota led from start to finish against the Spartans, snapping a three-game skid in the series and defeating MSU for the first time since a 59-56 home win on Feb. 6, 2024.
The win for the Gophers was their third home win this season versus a nationally-ranked opponent, and it snapped a seven-game losing skid in which Minnesota had lost two games in overtime, one on a buzzer-beater, and four of the seven by less than four points. The Gophers improved to 3-3 versus nationally-ranked teams this season, with wins versus No. 22 Indiana (73-64), No. 19 Iowa (70-67), and now the 10th-ranked Spartans.
Crocker-Johnson made 7-of-14 field goals, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, and 4-of-6 at the line to pace the Gophers. Tyson was 3-of-7 from long-distance and 6-of-7 at the line, while Reynolds scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Bobby Durkin was 3-of-4 from three-point range to finish with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Isaac Asuma had 10 points to put all five Minnesota starters in double-figures. Minnesota's five starters combined to play 184 of the 200 minutes, as head coach Niko Medved utilized a seven player rotation.
As a team, Minnesota made 22-of-46 (.478) field goals, including 10-of-21 (.476) three-pointers, and 22-of-31 (.710) free throws. MSU had a 39-23 rebounding advantage, and the Spartans made 26-of-58 (.448) field goals, including 9-of-24 (.375) from distance, and 12-of-17 (.706) free throws. Coen Carr led MSU with 16 points and added six rebounds, Jordan Scott had 15 points, Trey Fort made four three-pointers for 12 points, Jeremy Fears Jr. had 10 points and 11 assists, and Jaxon Kohler added nine points and nine boards.
Minnesota jumped ahead 7-2 at the 17:27 mark on layups from Reynolds and Durkin, and a three-pointer by Crocker-Johnson. The Gophers extended the lead to 12-3 on a layup by Asuma and a three-pointer by Durkin, as they opened the game 5-of-8 from the field. A three-pointer by Tyson with 13:49 remaining gave Minnesota a double-digit lead at 15-5, but the Spartans cut it to 15-8 before Tyson made a pair at the line for a 17-8 lead with 10:21 left. The Spartans started 3-of-11 from the field, including 0-of-5 from three-point range, before Teng connected on a trey to cut the lead to six, but Tyson responded with a three at the other end for a 20-11 lead with 8:57 left in the half.
A 3-0 MSU run once again pulled the Spartans within six points, but Crocker-Johnson made his second three-pointer of the half for a 23-14 advantage with 6:45 remaining. The Spartans pulled within five with a 4-0 run, but Crocker-Johnson's third trifecta of the half gave the Gophers a 26-18 lead. Fort hit MSU's second three-pointer to trim the lead to 26-21, but Asuma converted a three-point play and Durkin knocked down Minnesota's seventh three-pointer of the half with 0:23 remaining to give the Gophers a 32-21 halftime lead.
Crocker-Johnson led the Gophers with nine first-half points, while Durkin had eight points and five rebounds, Tyson had eight points, and Asuma added five points. As a team, the Gophers made 11-of-25 (.440) field goals, including 7-of-14 from three-point range, and 3-of-3 free throws. MSU had a 19-12 advantage in rebounds, but the Spartans made just 8-of-24 (.333) field goals, including 2-of-9 (.222) from distance, and 3-of-6 free throws. Minnesota never trailed in the first half. Ward led MSU with five points at the break.
MSU made 4-of-6, including a pair of three-pointers, to start the second half and pulled within seven, but Durkin and Crocker-Johnson also connected from long-range and Minnesota led 43-33 with 15:52 remaining. Scott scored five points to cut Minnesota's lead to 43-38 with 14:48 left. Crocker-Johnson made a pair of free throws, and Fears scored on a jumper in the lane for a 45-40 game with 14:10 left. Fears was whistled for a technical foul with 13:28 left, and Tyson made both free throws for a seven-point lead. The Gophers didn't score on the possession gained with the technical, but Crocker-Johnson converted a layup for a 49-40 lead at the second media timeout.
A Crocker-Johnson free throw put the Gophers up by 10, but Fort's second three-pointer of the game cut it to 50-43 with 10:06 remaining. Minnesota responded with a 5-0 run on an Asuma reverse layup and a Tyson three-pointer for a 12-point lead. The Spartans answered with a 4-0 run, but Tyson's three-point play gave the Gophers a 58-47 lead with 7:43 left. Reynolds put the Gophers up 60-47 with a layup, and Coen Carr was called for an offensive foul on a layup attempt, and Crocker-Johnson made a free throw to reach 20 points and give Minnesota a 14-point lead with 6:30 left.
Six straight points for Reynolds made it a 12-4 run for the Gophers and a 67-51 lead with 4:08 remaining, but the Spartans scored five-straight to trim it to 67-56, before Crocker-Johnson's layup with 2:00 remaining put the Gophers up 69-56. Carr scored four-straight points for the Spartans, trimming the deficit to 69-60, and Tom Izzo called a timeout with 1:35 on the clock. The Spartans pulled within 69-63 on a Scott three with 59.6 seconds left, and MSU called a time out. Tyson made a free throw for a 70-63 lead, but Fort's three-pointer cut the lead to four points with 0:47 left. Durkin made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to six with 0:44 left. Carr's layup cut it to 72-68, and Asuma made the first of two free throws for a 73-68 lead with 0:30 remaining. Fort connected on another three-pointer with 20 seconds left, cutting the lead to 73-71, but free throws from Asuma and Reynolds sealed the three-point victory.
Minnesota remains at home to play host to Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 8. Tipoff at Williams Arena is set for 1:00 p.m. CST, and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
The win for the Gophers was their third home win this season versus a nationally-ranked opponent, and it snapped a seven-game losing skid in which Minnesota had lost two games in overtime, one on a buzzer-beater, and four of the seven by less than four points. The Gophers improved to 3-3 versus nationally-ranked teams this season, with wins versus No. 22 Indiana (73-64), No. 19 Iowa (70-67), and now the 10th-ranked Spartans.
Crocker-Johnson made 7-of-14 field goals, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, and 4-of-6 at the line to pace the Gophers. Tyson was 3-of-7 from long-distance and 6-of-7 at the line, while Reynolds scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Bobby Durkin was 3-of-4 from three-point range to finish with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Isaac Asuma had 10 points to put all five Minnesota starters in double-figures. Minnesota's five starters combined to play 184 of the 200 minutes, as head coach Niko Medved utilized a seven player rotation.
As a team, Minnesota made 22-of-46 (.478) field goals, including 10-of-21 (.476) three-pointers, and 22-of-31 (.710) free throws. MSU had a 39-23 rebounding advantage, and the Spartans made 26-of-58 (.448) field goals, including 9-of-24 (.375) from distance, and 12-of-17 (.706) free throws. Coen Carr led MSU with 16 points and added six rebounds, Jordan Scott had 15 points, Trey Fort made four three-pointers for 12 points, Jeremy Fears Jr. had 10 points and 11 assists, and Jaxon Kohler added nine points and nine boards.
Minnesota jumped ahead 7-2 at the 17:27 mark on layups from Reynolds and Durkin, and a three-pointer by Crocker-Johnson. The Gophers extended the lead to 12-3 on a layup by Asuma and a three-pointer by Durkin, as they opened the game 5-of-8 from the field. A three-pointer by Tyson with 13:49 remaining gave Minnesota a double-digit lead at 15-5, but the Spartans cut it to 15-8 before Tyson made a pair at the line for a 17-8 lead with 10:21 left. The Spartans started 3-of-11 from the field, including 0-of-5 from three-point range, before Teng connected on a trey to cut the lead to six, but Tyson responded with a three at the other end for a 20-11 lead with 8:57 left in the half.
Got Coach 😂
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) February 5, 2026
Gophers beat No. 10 Michigan State!#TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/VtdCIiOtGF
A 3-0 MSU run once again pulled the Spartans within six points, but Crocker-Johnson made his second three-pointer of the half for a 23-14 advantage with 6:45 remaining. The Spartans pulled within five with a 4-0 run, but Crocker-Johnson's third trifecta of the half gave the Gophers a 26-18 lead. Fort hit MSU's second three-pointer to trim the lead to 26-21, but Asuma converted a three-point play and Durkin knocked down Minnesota's seventh three-pointer of the half with 0:23 remaining to give the Gophers a 32-21 halftime lead.
Crocker-Johnson led the Gophers with nine first-half points, while Durkin had eight points and five rebounds, Tyson had eight points, and Asuma added five points. As a team, the Gophers made 11-of-25 (.440) field goals, including 7-of-14 from three-point range, and 3-of-3 free throws. MSU had a 19-12 advantage in rebounds, but the Spartans made just 8-of-24 (.333) field goals, including 2-of-9 (.222) from distance, and 3-of-6 free throws. Minnesota never trailed in the first half. Ward led MSU with five points at the break.
MSU made 4-of-6, including a pair of three-pointers, to start the second half and pulled within seven, but Durkin and Crocker-Johnson also connected from long-range and Minnesota led 43-33 with 15:52 remaining. Scott scored five points to cut Minnesota's lead to 43-38 with 14:48 left. Crocker-Johnson made a pair of free throws, and Fears scored on a jumper in the lane for a 45-40 game with 14:10 left. Fears was whistled for a technical foul with 13:28 left, and Tyson made both free throws for a seven-point lead. The Gophers didn't score on the possession gained with the technical, but Crocker-Johnson converted a layup for a 49-40 lead at the second media timeout.
A Crocker-Johnson free throw put the Gophers up by 10, but Fort's second three-pointer of the game cut it to 50-43 with 10:06 remaining. Minnesota responded with a 5-0 run on an Asuma reverse layup and a Tyson three-pointer for a 12-point lead. The Spartans answered with a 4-0 run, but Tyson's three-point play gave the Gophers a 58-47 lead with 7:43 left. Reynolds put the Gophers up 60-47 with a layup, and Coen Carr was called for an offensive foul on a layup attempt, and Crocker-Johnson made a free throw to reach 20 points and give Minnesota a 14-point lead with 6:30 left.
Six straight points for Reynolds made it a 12-4 run for the Gophers and a 67-51 lead with 4:08 remaining, but the Spartans scored five-straight to trim it to 67-56, before Crocker-Johnson's layup with 2:00 remaining put the Gophers up 69-56. Carr scored four-straight points for the Spartans, trimming the deficit to 69-60, and Tom Izzo called a timeout with 1:35 on the clock. The Spartans pulled within 69-63 on a Scott three with 59.6 seconds left, and MSU called a time out. Tyson made a free throw for a 70-63 lead, but Fort's three-pointer cut the lead to four points with 0:47 left. Durkin made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to six with 0:44 left. Carr's layup cut it to 72-68, and Asuma made the first of two free throws for a 73-68 lead with 0:30 remaining. Fort connected on another three-pointer with 20 seconds left, cutting the lead to 73-71, but free throws from Asuma and Reynolds sealed the three-point victory.
Minnesota remains at home to play host to Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 8. Tipoff at Williams Arena is set for 1:00 p.m. CST, and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
Coach Medved Postgame Reaction
Wednesday, February 04
Highlights: Gophers 76, Michigan State 73
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Ski-U-Strong
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Highlights: Gophers 75, Penn State 77
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