3 Things to Watch in Michigan State's Matchup against UCLA
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The closing of the regular season is near, and Michigan State needs to get its trajectory upwards again, and quickly.
MSU (20-5 overall, 10-4 Big Ten) slid to 15th in the AP Poll on Monday after losing its last game to now-No. 24 Wisconsin, 92-71. It is the Spartans' third loss in the last four games. If you're an optimist, last year's team that made the Elite Eight had an identical stretch of loss, loss, win, loss, at nearly the exact same point on the calendar.
"We've lost three out of four games before, number one," Tom Izzo said on Monday. "I'm not trying to compare it to any other year. Hell, I've lost five out of six games in my career. Not very often, but it's happened. It's how we're playing and who we're playing that matters to me."
Izzo's Spartans have an interesting UCLA (17-8, 9-5) team on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET, Peacock). These are three things to know and watch for in this matchup:
Can MSU Give Fears Help
Really, MSU is a little bit lucky to not have a five-game losing streak right now and be looking at an 8, 9, or 10 seed in March Madness right now. Michigan State's two wins over this stretch have been against Rutgers and now-No. 10 Illinois, but, according to KenPom, the team's in-game winning percentage dropped to as low as 15.3% and 18.2%, respectively.
Jeremy Fears Jr. has been keeping the Spartans together during these games. He's averaged 22.0 points and 10.8 assists across those five contests, putting up 29 and 9 against Rutgers, and then 26 and 15 against Illinois. Fears also scored 31 and 7 in the loss to Michigan. This all has felt like it's out of necessity, though. Someone else needs to step up and help lighten Fears' load.
Skyy Clark Back for UCLA
One of the boosts UCLA is getting is the return to action for guard Skyy Clark. He came back from a hamstring injury on Saturday during the Bruins' game at Michigan after missing about a month, playing 18 minutes off the bench.
Before getting hurt, Clark started 13 of UCLA's first 14 games, averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while also played about 29 minutes a contest. It'll be interesting to see if Clark sees his normal share of minutes, now that he's gotten a game to get acclimated.
Booker's Back in East Lansing
The response to Xavier Booker's return to Michigan State should also be interesting. Izzo asked fans to give the former five-star prospect "the respect he deserves." Booker has started all but two of UCLA's games this season, averaging 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.
"I hope our fans welcome him back: students and fans," Izzo also said. "I don't want to see anybody booing him and doing this and that because he left, because it was a mutual thing that we did what was best for [him]."
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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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