Ward picked up his first career double-double, dropping 18 points and snagging 10 rebounds off the bench to help lift the Spartans to a 69-66 win over Arkansas. Ward led the team in both those statistics and earned some high-praise from Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo following the game.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Saturday men’s basketball game between No. 14 Arkansas and No. 22 Michigan State was, at times, ugly. The Razorbacks did not make a field goal in the final 2:43 and the Spartans did not convert a field goal in the final 6:02. “I’m not sure either team played great,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.

And at times, both Michigan State basketball and Arkansas played with late-season precision and urgency. Coach Tom Izzo’s new-look group grew up in a hurry. Especially his two freshmen.

Michigan State’s men’s basketball team plays its second-straight home game to open the 2025-26 regular season, hosting no. 14/14 Arkansas at the Breslin Center on Saturday, Nov. 8 (7 p.m., FOX).The matchup with Arkansas is the highest ranked matchup at the Breslin Center in the first month of the season since 2018,

The No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks visit the No. 21 Michigan State Spartans Saturday at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

Michigan State was led in scoring by its four captains and veteran leaders: Jeremy Fears Jr. (14 points), Carson Cooper (12 points), Coen Carr (11 points) and Jaxon Kohler (10 points). But overall, this group needed to provide more in order to knock off a top five team in a road game like this one.