Another game, another Jeremy Fears showcase - and this one might’ve been his most impressive yet.
Michigan State’s floor general put on a clinic over the weekend, dropping 26 points and dishing out 15 assists in a gritty, down-to-the-wire win over a top-five Illinois squad. It was the kind of performance that doesn’t just win games - it turns heads, especially in the heart of Big Ten play.
And when the game hung in the balance, it was Fears and freshman sharpshooter Kur Teng who stepped up, making clutch plays in the final moments of regulation to force overtime. From there, the Spartans took control.
The win moves Michigan State to 20-4 overall and 10-3 in the Big Ten, with seven regular-season games still on the board. But as big as the Illinois win was, it came just days after a surprising and frustrating loss to a struggling Minnesota team - a game that marked the Spartans’ second straight defeat and might end up looming large in the conference title race.
That Minnesota loss stings. No way around it.
The Gophers came in under .500 and left with a resume-boosting win, while Michigan State missed a golden opportunity to keep pace atop the Big Ten standings. If the Spartans fall short of a conference crown, that result could be the one they look back on with regret.
Still, the road ahead offers redemption - and high-stakes matchups. Michigan State still has dates with Purdue and in-state rival Michigan, both of which could shape not just the Big Ten race, but also the Spartans’ seeding come March.
Heading into the week, Michigan State sat at No. 10 in the rankings. A 1-1 split - with a head-scratching loss to Minnesota and a marquee win over Illinois - makes this a tough one to project.
Normally, a bad loss like the one to Minnesota would mean a drop. But this week, the chaos wasn’t limited to East Lansing.
Gonzaga fell to a sub-.500 Portland team. Illinois, of course, lost to the Spartans.
And Duke dropped a heartbreaker to North Carolina on a buzzer-beater in Chapel Hill. So while Michigan State’s résumé took a hit early in the week, it may have been partially offset by the weekend surge - and by the struggles of others in the top 15.
Let’s break it down.
**Who’s likely to fall below Michigan State? **
- Gonzaga (No. 6): A loss to 11-14 Portland is tough to overlook.
Expect a drop.
- **Illinois (No.
5)**: Maybe. Losing in overtime on the road to a top-10 team isn’t a major blemish, but it could be enough to slide them a few spots.
**Who could leapfrog the Spartans? **
- Kansas (No. 11): The Jayhawks are surging and could jump to No.
- **North Carolina (No.
14)**: That buzzer-beater win over Duke might give them a boost, possibly up to No. 11.
So where does that leave Michigan State? In all likelihood, right where they were - holding steady at No.
- Kansas moves up, Gonzaga slides down, and the Spartans stay put after a week that saw both a stumble and a statement.
There’s still plenty of basketball to play, and Michigan State has the tools - and the talent - to climb higher. But if they want to make a serious move, consistency will be key. Because as we saw this week, even one slip-up can cloud what could’ve been a defining stretch.