For the first time in over a week, Michigan State basketball fans went home happy.
The Spartans held on to beat a really good Illinois team on Saturday night, 85-82, after what can only be described as an intense, tightly-contested regulation which led to overtime. A foul on Michigan State with one second left led to the tie and overtime berth, but the Spartans locked in and won by three despite nearly throwing the game away (literally).
What’d we learn from this massive bounce-back performance?
1. Jeremy Fears is different
What we saw from Jeremy Fears on Saturday night shouldn’t surprise anyone. He was dominant once again and put the team on his back down the stretch, but the fact that he doesn’t panic when things are looking grim is incredibly impressive. He finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with 15 assists, truly taking the game over.
When it looked like he might whither away with all the hate he’s been getting, Fears stepped up, shook off an early review on a casual play where an Illinois defender tripped over his leg, and had one of his best career games, finishing with an insane stat line again.
If not for Fears, this team would be in a very bad spot. He’s just different.
2. Michigan State showed growth
There were several instances of Michigan State regaining the lead or tying things up, only to surrender the lead and let Illinois capture the momentum.
In the past three, or so, games, Michigan State would’ve crumbled. In the Michigan game, after Michigan State captured the lead, they coughed it up and lost by 12. In the Minnesota game, Michigan State crawled back into it, but then a technical on Fears led to an extended lead that the Spartans were never able to come back from.
When Michigan State tied things up late against Illinois, the Illini responded with some runs, but the Spartans didn’t crumble and instead remained calm and focused and recaptured the lead.
What we saw from the Spartans on Saturday night, composure-wise, was impressive.
3. This team needed a win like this
After blowing teams out for like three weeks straight, Michigan State looked invincible, and the Spartans probably felt that way, too. There were seven straight double-digit wins, but Michigan State hit a rough patch beginning with the Rutgers win.
The Spartans came back to win that game, then lost to Michigan by 12 after recapturing a lead late in the second half, and then they lost to Minnesota after trailing the entire game.
Michigan State needed a win like this to really show that it can claw out of a hole and beat a really good team. This type of tough-it-out win is exactly what this team needed after a two-game losing streak.
Let’s hope this launches the Spartans into a run.