Big Ten history was made by Jeremy Fears over the weekend as he became the only player ever to score 17 points and have 17 assists. The 20-assist record set by Mateen Cleaves back in that game in 2000 was a record, but he only scored eight. Michigan State basketball’s current point guard was responsible for 23 of the Spartans’ 34 field goals against Maryland.
Just an incredible game for the All-American-caliber point guard.
Not only is Fears making history this season, but Michigan State as a whole is on the verge of making program history with two more wins.
Michigan State is 18-2 on the season, and the Spartans’ best start ever has been 19-2, which happened twice under Tom Izzo in 2008 and 2014, per Paul Fanson on X, but his current team is expected to improve to that mark on Tuesday against one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. The Spartans will be heavily favored at Rutgers, but no road game in the Big Ten is a given.
If Michigan State does take care of business against the Scarlet Knights to improve to 19-2, that will equal its best start in program history, but a win over Michigan on Friday would break the record.
No team in Michigan State history has ever begun 20-2, and it’s fitting that it could happen for the first time against the No. 3 Wolverines this weekend.
This team could be one of Tom Izzo’s best ever
Entering the season, no one thought that there was any chance the Spartans would be one of Izzo’s best teams ever, let alone better than the one he had a season ago.
However, that’s looking to be the case.
Michigan State has won six straight Big Ten games by at least 10 points, and the Spartans are 18-2 on the year with a few impressive ranked wins. Their only losses were to Duke (by six) and Nebraska (by two) on the road. Both of those games probably should’ve been wins, but they were fumbled away late due to poor coaching and some bad offense against zones.
Now, Michigan State is streaking and it’s been the best team in the country in the month of January. It’s facing a tough upcoming stretch, but a 20-2 start is very possible.
This team has everything you need to win a national title: elite point guard play, elite defense, shooting, dominant rebounding, and chemistry. This team might go down as one of Izzo’s best ever.