Jasiah Jervis set the tone early, and Michigan State never let Toledo breathe.
The Spartans rolled to a 91-61 win in East Lansing, pairing sharp shooting with punishing defense and a massive edge on the glass. It was the first two-day turnaround of the season for Michigan State, but there was no sign of tired legs or flat shooting. The Izzone got a team that looked ready for another night of work.
Jervis was the headliner. After going 1-for-5 from deep in the opener, he came out firing and buried his second three of the night before the game was even five minutes old.
From there, he kept attacking. He sprinted past the Toledo defense in transition for a tough, contested layup, then absorbed a Tom Izzo message late in the first half while Michigan State was already up by more than 20.
Jervis took it in stride, and two possessions later he drilled his third triple.
He finished with a team-high 16 points, hit 4-for-7 from three-point range, added five rebounds, and logged 26 minutes, tied for the most on the team. His plus-27 led the Spartans.
Jordan Scott earned the second star by doing the dirty work that keeps winning teams humming. The added muscle shows, but what really jumps off the floor is his motor.
He chases loose balls, attacks rebounds and refuses to let possessions die. His offense took a little while to come around, but he still made his mark with rebounding and passing before finally getting on the board with a corner three late in the first half.
Scott hit another corner triple later in the game after a brief shooting lull, and he wrapped up with 12 points, a team-high nine rebounds, 5-for-12 shooting from the field and 2-for-6 from deep. He also matched Jervis with 26 minutes and posted a team-best +29.
Jeremy Fears Jr. rounded out the top three after another electric showing. He’s been a defensive pest and a steadying force through the first two games, but he also flashed the kind of offensive burst that can flip a possession in a hurry. Early in the first half, he drove into the lane, hit a shimmy that left a defender off balance and finished with a reverse layup that stood out as one of Michigan State’s prettiest baskets of the night.
Fears also took a hit with eight minutes left in the second half while trying to slip between two Rockets and Ethan Taylor. He came up limping, but still knocked down both free throws and stayed in the game. He finished with 12 points and nine assists, one assist short of a double-double, while going 5-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Anton Bonke had a shaky start after a huge double-double in the previous game, turning it over on Michigan State’s first two possessions. But Fears kept feeding him, and Bonke settled in with early baskets and rebounds before taking over the paint in stretches.
In the second half, he looked every bit the 7-foot-2 force he is, cleaning up on the glass and making life miserable inside. Bonke ended up with nine points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes, and he didn’t commit another turnover after those first two possessions.
Coen Carr also made his presence felt, knocking down an early three from deep after crisp ball movement found him open. He didn’t get the chance to throw down one of his trademark dunks, but he still put up 10 points and five rebounds without a turnover.
Off the bench, Kaleb Glenn brought the kind of edge Izzo loves, working hard on both ends and finishing with a bench-high six rebounds. He did have two turnovers, but his effort was obvious throughout.
Ethan Taylor was similarly relentless, battling for boards and refusing to give ground. He grabbed five rebounds off the bench, scored eight points, and drew praise from Izzo after the game for his aggressive approach.
Michigan State’s numbers matched the eye test. The Spartans shot 51% from the field for the second straight game and hit 42% of their threes, topping 35% from long range for a second consecutive outing. On the boards, they overwhelmed Toledo, finishing with a 52-27 rebounding edge.
The Spartans are now 2-0 and head to the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, to face No. 2 Duke.
In Other News...
Michigan State Is One Win From The Final After Wild Finish
Bella Najera delivered the kind of finish that can define a tournament run, scoring in the 96th minute to lift Michigan State past Washington, 3-2, in a wild Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. The Spartans had to navigate a back-and-forth match that featured multiple swings in momentum before Najera finally put it away, sending Michigan State into the semifinals with plenty of drama still fresh from the quarterfinal stage.
Michigan State now gets the matchup it was hoping to earn, a semifinal date with Michigan and a chance to keep its postseason push alive against a familiar rival. After surviving a tense, high-scoring battle against Washington, the Spartans will carry both confidence and urgency into the next round, knowing one more win would put them within reach of the final. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Izzo Still Sees A Michigan State Problem After Blowout Win
Michigan States 91-61 win over Toledo looked comfortable on the scoreboard, and Tom Izzo had reasons to like what he saw. The Spartans showed off the kind of depth that can carry a team through a long season, and Izzo has been working through roster adjustments as he tries to settle on the right combinations. For a team with bigger goals ahead, it was the sort of game that can reinforce the upside without fully answering every question.
Izzo still came away focused on the details that tend to matter most once the competition gets sharper. Free-throw shooting and turnovers remained issues in his eyes, even in a lopsided victory, and that leaves Michigan State with work to do before Duke arrives on the schedule. A win like this helps the record, but it also serves as a reminder that the Spartans are still chasing cleaner execution. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Enters Rivalry Game With One Huge Problem On Offense
Michigan State heads into the rivalry trip to Ann Arbor carrying more than the usual pressure that comes with this matchup. Both programs have labored through uneven seasons under new head coaches, but Michigan enters with a sturdier defense and a healthier roster, while the Spartans are trying to piece together enough on offense to keep pace in a game that still figures to be tight.
The bigger concern for Michigan State is the state of its quarterback situation, which has been unsettled by injuries and leaves the offense in a difficult spot against a Michigan defense that should control large stretches of the game. Michigans offense has shown some recent improvement, but the Wolverines are still expected to lean on their defense to separate in a rivalry that rarely gives either side much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]