Following a 19-point win over Oakland on Tuesday, Vegas saw FAU as a tougher test for Michigan State basketball on Saturday, but the Spartans made easy work of the Owls with an 86-69 win.
The Spartans found themselves down a couple of points early on and the Owls were keeping pace, but they pulled away before halftime, taking a 13-point lead into the break. The second half was just an extension of most of the first as the lead hovered around 10-15 for most of the way before Michigan State ultimately won by 17.
Tom Izzo was thrilled with his team, namely a couple of 2023 class stars, on Saturday as he praised Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. after their big games.
So what did we learn from this one?
1. Jeremy Fears Jr. is becoming something special
Tom Izzo gushed about his redshirt freshman point guard following the game, and how could he not? The second-year point guard played well from start to finish and calmly led the Spartans past the Owls when the game was tight early on. It was a few dunks by Coen Carr and Szymon Zapala followed by a huge and-one by Fears which helped the Spartans pull away.
Fears finished the game with 13 points, eight assists, one block, and just one turnover. He looked like a budding superstar at the position.
Izzo spoke highly about Fears' ability to take over a huddle and he was showing more leadership on Saturday than he had through his first year-plus in a Michigan State uniform. He called it Fears' best game as a Spartan.