3 Observations From MSU’s Significant Win Over UCLA
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EAST LANSING, Mich. — No. 15 Michigan State looked like a team more primed for a run in March on Tuesday night.
The Spartans played what felt like an inverse of Friday’s game at Wisconsin. They were the ones raining threes down this time, going 14-for-27 from deep as MSU cruised to an 82-59 win over UCLA on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center.
“We go to Wisconsin, and we can't make a shot, and they can't miss one,” Tom Izzo said after the game. “And we come here, and we can't miss a shot, and they [UCLA] can't make one. And then Wisconsin goes to Ohio State, and they can't hit a three.”
This was a different brand of basketball than what we’ve seen lately. Here are three observations from the Spartans’ convincing victory that has people feeling good again:
Threes Drop for Fears, Everyone Else
Jeremy Fears Jr. is already Michigan State’s MVP. The big hole in his game this season was his three-point shooting, though. Fears entered Tuesday shooting just 25.3% on the season, but he also had been making just 15.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc during Big Ten play.
Fears ended up cashing in four three-pointers during the Spartans’ win. It’s the most made threes in a single game in his collegiate career in what was his 74th career appearance. His previous high of three made threes both came against weaker non-conference opponents this season (San Jose State and Cornell).
In fact, the threes just kept falling for others. The Bruins entered with the best three-point defense in the Big Ten during conference play, with their opponents only making 29.7% of their attempts. Michigan State’s 14 made threes ended up being the most for the team in any game this season, along with it being tied for the most UCLA has allowed this year (Cal Poly made the same number on Dec. 19 on five more attempts).
This type of three-point shooting really extends the Spartans’ ceiling. Now, they can’t shoot above 50% every single game, but it shows the capability is there. There may very well be a time where MSU is playing a 1 seed in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, and it needs something like this.
Help Arrives for Fears
Speaking of Fears, he finally got the help he hasn’t really had for the previous five games. MSU’s point guard averaged 22.0 points and 10.8 assists over that stretch, but the Spartans went 2-3 during that stretch, requiring truly elite-tier performances from Fears to beat Rutgers and then-No. 5 Illinois.
Fears ended up scoring 16 with 10 assists during this one — still All-Big Ten-worthy — but the offensive attack felt much more balanced. Nine players, including Fears, scored points in this one. Coen Carr also had 16 points, Carson Cooper had 12, Jordan Scott had 11, Jaxon Kohler had nine (and 10 rebounds), and Kur Teng had nine.
That looked like the Michigan State squad from earlier in the year that was able to rely on its depth a bit more. This year’s team isn’t as deep as last year’s, or even from earlier in the year with the loss of Divine Ugochukwu (foot injury), but it still has more capability for a balanced attack than plenty of other teams.
It’s also reflected in the minutes distribution, which is, admittedly, a bit more leveled out by the big cushion MSU, but no one was over-extended in this one. Fears played 33 minutes, but Tom Izzo said that backup point guard Denham Wojcik was dealing with a shoulder issue that prevented him from playing. Besides Fears, no one played more than 27 minutes in this one.
Positive Welcome for Booker
One thing Izzo wanted was a respectful welcome to former Spartan Xavier Booker in his return to the Breslin Center. It seemed that he got it.
Booker was the second starter for UCLA introduced, and while there were a few scattered boos in the crowd, the claps and cheers seemed to drown most of it out. Izzo described Booker’s transfer decision last offseason as “amicable,” with disappointments on both ends. This wasn’t some sort of back-stabbing decision, and the MSU fans seemed to understand that.
That didn’t stop Michigan State fans from having *some* fun with him. At one point during warmups, Booker was shooting three all by himself on one end of the court. He missed a couple of them in a row, and the already-full Izzone cheered a bit louder each time a ball bounced off the iron. Booker grinned, seemingly knowing and acknowledging it’s all in good fun.
It bled into the game a little bit. With MSU up by a good bit early in the second half, some fans actually offered up some cheers when Booker grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for some second-chance points. There was even a “We want Booker!” chant that didn’t feel sarcastic to me, but could be up to some interpretation.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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