Spartan Nation

Michigan State’s Questions at Two-Guard Get Answered in Loss

It's clear who should be the primary off-ball guard for the Spartans going forward.
Travis Tyler|
Jan 30, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
Jan 30, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

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Michigan State Spartans

The biggest hole in Michigan State's basketball lineup has been the two-guard spot next to Jeremy Fears. Last season, it was occupied by a combination of Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, and Tre Holloman as the Spartans deployed a three-man approach in the backcourt. But with all three playing elsewhere in 2026, MSU has been waiting for someone to step up.

Several have tried throughout the season, whether it was Divine Ugochukwu carrying Michigan State to victory at Penn State or Trey Fort and Kur Teng leading the way against Kentucky, but one player seems to have emerged from the pack, and it was obvious in Friday night's loss to Michigan.

michigan state guar
Michigan State's Jordan Scott, left, celebrates his 3-pointer with Jeremy Fears Jr. during the first half in the game against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jordan Scott is the Spartans' best choice at the two-guard.

Jordan Scott's Season

Scott has appeared in all 22 games as a freshman, averaging 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and about one assist per game.He has had an up-and-down year scoring-wise with flashes of brilliance and potential stardom, but it's his all around game that makes him the right choice.

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Michigan State's Jordan Scott shoots free throws during the second half in the game against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Scott will be a bona fide scorer in time, but right now he's doing all the little things that Tom Izzo's best players do, and many of them early in their careers before they need to be scorers. He defends at an elite level. He runs around at maximum effort and grabs rebounds, which isn't that common for the guards on the current team.

The freshman has never seemed rattled all season, and even in moments of adversity, he remains steady. It might not be resulting in huge games for him personally right now, but it's exactly what this team needs from him, especially if he can start knocking down threes with the consistency that has been expected of him.

Scott Emerges

Scott's three-point shooting wasn't present on Friday night as he finished the game 1-for-5 from beyond the arc, but the rest of his game was extremely evident. He hit all three of his free throws, made quite a few high energy plays on the defensive end and tracking down loose-ball rebounds, and even start aggressively making moves to the hoop.

The freshman finished with 10 points, his second in double-figures in Big Ten play. But most importantly, when the big moments came, it was Scott playing the two-guard for the Spartans, while the others were relatively scarce and combined to take and miss just three total shots all night. He's even passed all of them with his average playing time for the season at 16.9 minutes per game.

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Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) and Michigan State forward Jordan Scott (6) battle for the ball during the first half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's a pretty even split with Ugochukwu and Teng, but he's clearly overtaken Fort, who is a senior, and if Tom Izzo's praise for Jordan Scott this season hadn't said enough, his presence on the court in crunch time against the No. 3 team in the country said everything. He's not perfect, and he has a long way to go to reach his full potential, but Jordan Scott is the best option at the two-guard for Michigan State -- even as a freshman.

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Published
Travis Tyler
TRAVIS TYLER

Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.