Several players stepped up in a big way on Saturday night as Michigan State took Illinois down, 85-82.
Jeremy Fears was obviously the star of the show, scoring 26 points with 15 assists, and completely taking over down the stretch. He was fantastic (again), and he’s furthering his All-American resume. He’s been one of the best players in the country for the past month, and he’s furthering willed the Spartans to a huge win over the nation’s No. 5 team on Saturday.
It wasn’t just Fears, though. It was also guys like Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Coen Carr, and new starter Jordan Scott who has fit seamlessly into the starting lineup.
Scott finished with 10 points and four rebounds, making 3-of-6 shots and playing with ice water in his veins. The big moment wasn’t too big for him, and that’s why Tom Izzo continues to gush over him.
After the win, Izzo called Scott “the perfect human being as a basketball player”.
Tom Izzo speaks on what type of player Jordan Scott is to his basketball program.
— Ben Schadel (@BenSchadel) February 8, 2026
"He might be the perfect human being as a basketball player."
"The guy doesn't have a nervous bone in his entire body."
Scott scored 10 points in a 85-82 victory against #5 Illinois. pic.twitter.com/jyaHYixTUJ
Izzo has been raving about Scott since before the season began, saying that he didn’t expect his two incoming freshmen to be this good early on. Now, Scott is a starter for a top-10 team in college basketball and he’s coming off his third straight double-digit scoring performance.
As a starter, Scott is averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He’s also 4-for-8 from deep and 8-for-14 from the floor. He’s fit into the starting lineup nicely.
Jordan Scott is exactly what the starting 5 needed
Divine Ugochukwu’s injury was unfortunate, and he was going to play a big role as Fears’ backup as well as playing major minutes at the two. Now, those minutes are going to be spread between Scott, Kur Teng, and Trey Fort.
Scott has made the most of his recent minutes uptick. He hasn’t looked nervous or out of place, and he’s one of the main reasons Michigan State was able to beat Illinois on Saturday.
No, his 10 points weren’t exactly eye-popping, but he played some incredible defense on Keaton Wagler, holding the Illinois superstar to just 2-of-16 shooting. Wagler still scored 16 points, but most of his damage was done at the free throw line (10 points from the stripe) — and one of his two field goals came with about 10 seconds left in overtime.
Strong defense, plus rebounding from the wing, and the ability to score? Yeah, Scott may have been the missing piece all along. And he’s not exactly playing like a true freshman.