3 MSU Players Who Will Define Team's March Madness Run

The hope is certainly that Michigan State will play more than one or two games in the NCAA Tournament.

"I did figure out the bracket, and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't win the National Championship or get beat in the first weekend," Tom Izzo joked on Monday.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shouts instructions out during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

MSU's season can maybe only last one game further, but it can also last six. That's the beauty of March Madness, but also what makes everyone nervous. The expectation set by Izzo, who has made the Final Four eight times and has reached the second weekend 16 times, is certainly to play more than one or two.

For Michigan State to do so, though, it needs a couple of players to perform at a high level, needless to say. These three guys are the ones who will define MSU's run, no matter how long it lasts:

Cam Ward

One of the big concerns for the Spartans is the lack of bench scoring. Only two non-starters for Michigan State are serious threats to put the ball in the basket themselves: Cam Ward and Kur Teng. With Teng, he's sort of either going to make his threes, or he isn't.

Ward is a bit of a different story. He's a bigger contributor on the defensive end than on offense, but that doesn't mean he can't be a true asset. Ward's motor alone makes him capable of getting MSU a couple of buckets here and there. If he can keep himself out of foul trouble and stay on the court, he can be a big help to the frontcourt that features Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper.

Jordan Scott

The same thing goes for the Spartans' other freshman. Jordan Scott has run into some struggles lately, averaging 5.2 points per game across his last five contests. During the five games before that (his first five in the starting lineup), Scott averaged 11.8 points a game with at least 10 in all of them.

MSU needs Scott to return to the form he showed recently. He's still shot 41.3% from deep since New Year's. If he can knock down a couple of threes per game, protect the ball, and also continue to provide some steady defense (despite a tough UCLA game), that would plug in some holes for Michigan State.

Jeremy Fears Jr.

This sort of goes without saying, but everything still revolves around Jeremy Fears Jr. The Spartans are extremely different when he's off the court, and not in a good way. Fears is already one of the best, if not the best, point guards in college basketball, but the lack of a truly reliable backup option makes him one of the most valuable players to his team in the sport.

Fears needs to stay on the court. That might mean that he may need to put forth 40 minutes in a tight game, but he also needs to, at pretty much all costs, stay out of foul trouble. He's generally done a good job of this, but a second first-half foul that sends him to the bench during a Sweet 16 game could very well be the type of thing that gets looked back upon as a death blow.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo gives instructions to his team during a game against Rutgers on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI