A few games ago, Tom Izzo decided to switch things up in his starting lineup. He moved Kur Teng back to the bench, cut Trey Fort’s minutes drastically, and promoted Divine Ugochukwu to Michigan State’s starting five.
It wasn’t as much a promotion as it was a position change to address the deficiencies at the two-guard spot, but many saw it as an opportunity for Ugochukwu to prove what he could do.
In his first start, Ugochukwu scored a career-high 23 points and looked confident as ever, leading the way in Michigan State’s second Big Ten win.