From beginning to end, this may have been Michigan State’s most dominant performance of the season, beating Maryland 91-48 on Saturday afternoon.
This was the exact type of performance the Spartans needed after a two-game road trip saw them play some sloppy basketball, but still pieced together a couple of double-digit wins. Now, the Spartans are up to six straight wins by at least 10 points. On the season, they’re 18-2 and now 8-1 in conference play. This team is eight points away from being 20-0 on the season.
Michigan State took a 23-point lead into the half, and only extended it to 43 by the final buzzer.
What’d we learn from this impressive win over Maryland?
1. This team plays so well together
When Michigan State suffered several key losses this offseason, including a couple of unexpected ones, fans were slightly worried that the Spartans wouldn’t be able to piece together a roster that was as close and played as well together.
Most of us were wrong. Tom Izzo was able to construct a roster that plays for one another and is willing to give up a good shot for a great one.
All you have to do is look at the assist numbers and the field goal attempts. Not one single Spartan attempted more than eight shots and Michigan State had 25 assists on 34 made shots. That just proves that these guys don’t care who scores, as long as they’re winning games.
2. Everyone on this team has improved their shooting
This Michigan State team gets treated unfairly on a national stage. The Spartans get treated like they’re one of the worst shooting teams in the country, but that really couldn’t be further from the truth.
From Jaxon Kohler, to Jeremy Fears, to Carson Cooper (yes, he even hit his first career three), to Divine Ugochukwu, to even Coen Carr. Everyone on this roster has improved their shooting from last season. Kohler is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country, Carr has hit four over the last two games and he’s even added a mid-range game, Ugochukwu is the third-most-improved 3-point shooter in the country, and Fears has also added a mid-range game.
Michigan State doubters are running out of things to criticize Michigan State about.
3. Jeremy Fears is going to break some records here
Jeremy Fears had 17 points, which has become his new norm, to go along with 17 assists. No, that’s not a typo, the sophomore guard racked up 17 (!!) assists in Michigan State’s 91-48 win. He was involved in 23 of Michigan State’s 35 field goals, which is honestly wild to think about. About 65 percent of the time MSU scored against Maryland, it was Fears-related.
Fears is already on pace to break Cassius Winston’s assist record, and he looks to be on pace to also break Braden Smith’s when it’s eventually finalized.
Also, let’s take a quick look at sophomore year numbers from Mateen Cleaves, Kalin Lucas, and Cassius compared to Fears:
Mateen Cleaves: 16.1 points, 7.2 assists, 2.4 steals, 40% FG, 33.6% 3FG
Kalin Lucas: 14.7 points, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 39.5% FG, 39% 3FG
Cassius Winston: 12.6 points, 6.9 assists, 0.7 steals, 50.7% FG, 49.7% 3FG
Jeremy Fears: 13.4 points, 8.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 44.9% FG, 28.5% 3FG
So Fears is on pace, scoring wise, averages more assists as a sophomore than any other legendary Spartan point guard under Izzo, and he’s shooting at a higher clip than anyone but Cassius.
Yeah, he’s going to break some records in East Lansing.