No. 10 Michigan State travels to the Kohl Center Friday night (8 p.m. ET, FOX) needing a win to stop Wisconsin’s momentum and quiet the noise surrounding its star point guard.
The Spartans have dropped two of their last four games, and redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. spent more time making headlines for his conduct than his playmaking during that stretch. A convincing road victory would prove the 85-82 overtime win over Illinois last Saturday was a turning point, not an anomaly.
Wisconsin’s Backcourt Presents Michigan State’s Biggest Challenge Yet
The Badgers (17-7, 10-4 Big Ten) are playing their best basketball of the season. Greg Gard’s team upset No. 8 Illinois 92-90 in overtime Tuesday night in Champaign, erasing a 12-point second-half deficit behind Nick Boyd’s 25 points and John Blackwell’s 24. It marked their fifth double-digit comeback in their last nine games and their second top-10 road win this season.
Wisconsin has now won two of the last three meetings against Michigan State, including last March’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal in Indianapolis. That day, John Tonje poured in 32 points to lead the Badgers to a 77-74 victory that ended the Spartans’ hopes of adding a tournament title to their regular season crown.
The Boyd-Blackwell tandem creates matchup problems for everyone. Boyd leads the team in scoring and ranks among the Big Ten’s best at getting to the rim, while Blackwell’s perimeter shooting and playmaking stretch defenses thin. Austin Rapp has been a revelation off the bench, hitting four three-pointers in the Illinois win and providing a scoring punch when Wisconsin needs it most.
Fears Must Channel His Competitive Fire the Right Way
Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 Big Ten) enters tied for third in the conference standings, one game ahead of Wisconsin. The Spartans remain a dangerous team when everything clicks. Fears ranks first nationally with 219 assists and is averaging 15.1 points and 9.1 assists per game.
Jaxon Kohler has been a double-double machine, recording multiple double-doubles this season and ranking among the Big Ten leaders in rebounding at 9.4 per game. Coen Carr provides the athleticism and rim protection that anchors their defense.
But the past two weeks exposed vulnerabilities. Michigan handed them an 83-71 loss at the Breslin Center, and Minnesota stunned them 76-73 in Minneapolis despite the Gophers entering the game with a losing record in conference play. More troubling than the losses was what happened during them.
The Minnesota game became a referendum on Fears’ sportsmanship. He was assessed a technical foul for kicking Langston Reynolds in the groin after drawing a foul, a play that came after multiple other incidents involving the two players throughout the game. Tom Izzo publicly called out his floor general afterward.
“Jeremy’s got to grow up a little bit,” Izzo said. “I sat him for a while. I don’t even know if I’m going to start him the next game.”
The comments followed Michigan coach Dusty May’s accusations from the week prior, when May said there was extensive footage showing Fears making “dangerous” plays against the Wolverines. Fears appeared to intentionally trip Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg during that loss.
Izzo ultimately started Fears against Illinois, and his point guard responded with one of the best games of his season. The 26 points and 15 assists against No. 5 Illinois silenced critics temporarily, but the road environment in Madison will test whether that maturity carries forward.
What’s at Stake for Both Teams Friday Night?
Wisconsin’s crowd will certainly try to get under his skin. The Kohl Center faithful have watched their team knock off two top-10 opponents this season and will smell blood if Fears shows any frustration early.
The Spartans need Fears at his best Friday night. They’re 8-2 on the road this season, and their path back to a regular season title runs through games like this one. Michigan sits atop the standings at 13-1 in conference, meaning Michigan State can’t afford to drop winnable games if they want any shot at catching the Wolverines.
Wisconsin represents something more immediate than the title race for these Spartans. A win proves the Illinois performance was the rule, not the exception. A loss raises questions about whether this team can handle adversity away from home during the season’s most important stretch.
Selection Sunday is about four and a half weeks away. The seeding implications are significant for both programs, but only one team enters Friday night playing like it has something to prove. Wisconsin has already shown it can beat anyone. Michigan State needs to show it can beat anyone on the road when its best player is under a microscope.