Nothing was easy for Michigan State basketball on Tuesday night as Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. Rutgers was hitting shots that it hadn’t hit all season and they were out-playing the Spartans in darn near every facet until there were three minutes left.
Good thing games are 40 minutes instead of 37, because Michigan State needed every last second to beat the Scarlet Knights, 88-79.
The game did go to overtime, and there it was all Michigan State, but leading up to that point, the Scarlet Knights had Michigan State’s number, for the most part. It didn’t feel like the Spartans were playing a 9-11 team, and the crowd was into it more than I would’ve guessed. They were ready to storm the court before Divine Ugochukwu, Coen Carr, and Jeremy Fears saved the day.
Now how does that final report card from the stressful, yet thrilling, win look?
Note: Players are ordered by minutes played
Carson Cooper — B+
Are you as surprised to see that Carson Cooper led Michigan State in minutes (37) against Rutgers as I am? I would have guessed it was Fears, but Coop needed to be on the floor that long with Jaxon Kohler in foul trouble and not playing his best game. Cooper finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks which, on paper, should be good for an A, but he really struggled in the first 25, or so, minutes of this one. His four turnovers were detrimental early, but he turned a ‘C’ game into a B+ in a hurry.
Jeremy Fears — A+
I didn’t think I’d be handing out any A+ grades this season, but Fears has earned one in back-to-back games. He finished with an A+ for his 17/17 game against Maryland, and now his 29-point, nine-assist game against Rutgers locked up another one. He wasn’t playing well in the first half, but when Michigan State needed him, he took over. He scored most of his 29 points in the second half and overtime, and really took over in the final minutes. Fears is special.
Coen Carr — A
A guy who I think won’t get as much credit as he deserves from the win, Coen Carr was really good on Tuesday night. He finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, but he had a couple of the most clutch plays of the night down the stretch. There was the huge 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and Michigan State needing a bucket down eight, and then the awareness to not try to swat the last-second shot by Rutgers on the way down for a goaltend — he jumped at it and thought better of it. Michigan State doesn’t win this game without Carr’s heroics.
Jaxon Kohler — B-
Jaxon and Izzo would both tell you that this wasn’t one of his better games. Heck, they would both probably give him a worse grade than I’m giving him. However, a clutch and-one in overtime really put the game out of reach for Rutgers, and he responded well to Izzo coming at him in a huddle. Kohler didn’t shoot well (1-for-6 from three), but he made up for that with some clutch plays (a “screen” on the Ugochukwu three went unnoticed by many) down the stretch.
Divine Ugochukwu — A-
Speaking of Ugochukwu, the sophomore guard had himself a really nice game that will be overshadowed by the heroic shot he made with 11 seconds left in regulation. Not only did he make the game-tying three, but he scored nine (on three 3-pointers) and had six rebounds, six assists, and a block. This was one of his best all-around games as a Spartan.
Jordan Scott — A
You might be looking at Jordan Scott’s shooting numbers (2-for-6) and wondering why he gets an A for his performance. Well, he had four massive offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points, and Michigan State needed every single one of them to win the game. He did also score seven points and he made a big 3-pointer himself. Scott continues to do all the right things.
Kur Teng — B-
Kur Teng’s defense was a little better, but he did take some ill-advised shots that nearly killed Michigan State late in the game. His tightly-contested 3-point attempt early in the shot clock with Michigan State trying to crawl back into the game late almost had Spartan fans throwing their TVs out the window. Teng did finish with four points and an important offensive rebound.
Cam Ward — C
This was one of those “freshman” games for Cam Ward that we were bound to see eventually, and I fully expect him to bounce back in a high stakes game against Michigan. Ward looked off the entire time he was on the floor, turning the ball over three times and he only took one shot, missing it. He did grab three rebounds, but he was a net negative against Rutgers. Freshmen are always going to have a few games like that throughout the season.
Denham Wojcik — B
Denham Wojcik did make a basket, but he played just four minutes and Izzo kind of panicked with Rutgers not missing many shots on the other end, so he didn’t want Fears out for too long. Ugochukwu also ate into Wojcik’s minutes at point guard, which proves that Izzo likely trusts the Miami transfer more in adversity-laden situations.
Trey Fort — Incomplete
I can’t give Trey Fort a grade when he played just two minutes and didn’t attempt a single shot — or record any stats, for that matter. He continues to reside in Izzo’s dog house.