3 Observations from MSU's Improbable Victory over Rutgers
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Sometimes, the most satisfying victories are the ones where it doesn't feel like you really deserved it.
For 35 minutes and 59 seconds, Rutgers had the lead in regulation against No. 7 Michigan State. It didn't matter, as the Spartans surged at the end, while the Scarlet Knights collapsed, in an 88-79 MSU victory.
This was a peak "get a win, and get out of there" game. It's not pretty at all, but when the Big Ten championship gets awarded in early March, the sloppy overtime win against an "easy' opponent is worth as much as a blowout, like the Spartans' 91-46 thumping of Maryland on Saturday.
At one point, ESPN Analytics was giving Rutgers a 91% chance at victory. Here are three observations from the 9%:
"Early Onions!"
For those who don't know, the iconic Bill Raftery was one of the commentators for Tuesday's game. If you watch enough college hoops in March, you'll probably hear him drop his famous "Onions!" line after a big shot.
Usually, it's reserved for March and the NCAA Tournament. Raftery made a semi-rare exception on Tuesday night, speaking the words "Early onions!" into the mic when MSU's Divine Ugochukwu hit a game-tying three with 11.1 seconds remaining.
“EARLY ONIONS!”
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) January 28, 2026
Divine Ugochukwu DELIVERS.
You know it’s a big shot when you get an “Onions” call from Bill Raftery in January. pic.twitter.com/wLMtt9XvxZ
It's a shot worthy of Raftery's catchphrase. Michigan State is playing for much more than a win over Rutgers. If Ugochukwu misses that shot, the Spartans almost certainly lose and suffer a loss that would be described, at best, as extremely head-scratching.
Meanwhile, Ugochukwu has quietly become a tremendous three-point shooter when he's pulled from deep. He went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc against the Scarlet Knights, upping his season-wide percentage to 45.2%. Just last season at Miami (FL), Ugochukwu only made six shots from deep all year long with a percentage of just 17.6%.
Rutgers Breaks at End
Rutgers didn't look like a team that was expecting to play overtime, either. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but once Michigan State got the final stop after Ugochukwu's three, it didn't feel like MSU would let its extra life slip away at all.
That's how it went. The Spartans outscored the Scarlet Knights 15-6 during the five minutes of additional time. Michigan State's defense, after struggling all night, buckled down in OT, holding Rutgers to a 2-for-10 mark from the field during that time.
Fears Cementing All-American Status
Jeremy Fears Jr. went to the locker room at halftime with just two points, playing limited minutes in the first half after taking two cheap fouls. He ended with a career-high 29 points.
Fears completely put the team on his back down the stretch. He scored 17 points in the second half and then outscored Rutgers by himself in overtime by scoring 10 more points during the additional period. Ugochukwu's shot deserves some fame, but Fears ended up scoring 18 of Michigan State's final 26 points in this game.
There are going to be box score watchers who discredit that performance by pointing to his 16-of-17 mark at the foul line, as if getting to the line that much requires no skill. Yes, that's a lot of free throws, but these weren't cheap fouls or flops. At several points, when Fears was matched with one of the Scarlet Knights' bigs, he would have everyone clear out so he could isolate, and then he'd easily blow past said big and be able to draw that foul.
Fears is now averaging 14.1 points and 8.9 assists per game. Across his last nine games, Fears is at 18.6 points and 8.4 assists per game. Good luck keeping him off All-Big Ten or All-American lists.
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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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