The annual Oakland vs. Michigan State basketball game is here and the No. 20 Spartans will take on a reeling Golden Grizzlies team that is sitting at 3-5 on the season.
Unlike last year when these two teams met, Michigan State is playing some of the best basketball in the country, beating Colorado and North Carolina in Maui to take third place in a loaded tournament before coming back to take down Minnesota on the road by 18 and then Nebraska at home by nearly 40. The Spartans have been hot.
But after that Nebraska blowout, the Spartans got a 10-day break and this Oakland game is the welcome back to the court.
Will Michigan State stay hot or will it be rusty after the lengthy break? Let's get bold.
1. Jeremy Fears posts his season-high in assists
What if I told you that Jeremy Fears Jr. has yet to hit 10 assists this season? It's kind of hard to believe considering how well he's played in his first real action back since missing the second half of his freshman year with a gunshot injury to his leg.
Fears has been the best passer on the team and one of the best in the Big Ten and yet his season-high is 10. He had double-digit assists a year ago in December before suffering that injury and I think it's about time he hits it again.
Why not against a mediocre Oakland team?
Fears is going to put major pressure on the Grizzlies' defense all night, driving the lane and either finishing at the rim or dishing to an open man. And guess what? Michigan State will make its shots from 3-point range -- more on that later.
Fears finishes with eight points and 11 assists.