Michigan State basketball: Risers after Champions Classic Domination

On Tuesday, Michigan State basketball had their first game away from the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. They traveled out to Madison Square Garden, a place they had historically struggled at, to play No. 12 Kentucky in the Champions Classic. After the first stint, the fans got ready for a good game. However, the Spartans completely pulled away to close out the game. The Spartans dominated, winning 83-66.

Normally, it would be time for stock risers and fallers, however, in the victory, it was all stock up for the Spartans. Here are the Spartans that improved their stock the most in the resounding victory.

Forward Jesse McCulloch

McCulloch has been a player that was an afterthought in the opening three games of the season. On Tuesday, however, McCulloch shined on the brightest stage of his career so far. The redshirt freshman made effort plays, hit the first two three-pointers of his career, and provided quality minutes in relief of the trio of Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, and Cam Ward.

McCulloch’s second three-pointer sparked the Spartans, pulling them out of a slump that had Kentucky cut the lead to ten. He also added a blocked shot that was ruled a foul, even though he appeared to get all ball. The Ohio native had a career-high eight points, after only having four in his entire career leading into the game.

Forward Jaxon Kohler

Kohler followed up an 18-rebound game by posting his third career 20-point outing, with the Utah native decimating the Wildcats on the glass. He started the night with a pair of threes to keep Kentucky honest, before doing damage in the middle. Add in a sweet pump fake for an easy midrange two, and it was a great shooting night for Agent 0.

He did not light the boards up at his usual pace, with only five rebounds on the night, but with a 20-point outing, the senior gets a pass.

Guard Kur Teng

Another game, another career high for the sophomore. Kur Teng came off the bench for the Spartans and took advantage of the three falling for MSU. Teng hit on three of his seven three-point attempts while also adding a trio of twos, finishing with 15 points on the night.

The guard was able to spark the Spartans when Trey Fort needed a rest. The two primary shooting guards combined for 28 points tonight, and Kentucky could not keep pace.

Guard Jeremy Fears Jr.

Can the Illinois native have his stock rise any further? Apparently so. Fears Jr. was all over the court for the Spartans tonight, and added eight points, including a layup to give Michigan State basketball momentum in the second half.

The sophomore had a season-high 13 assists, which is the most by a Spartan against a ranked opponent since 1999, by Mateen Cleaves. Since Fears was not done showing off, he added a trio of steals and six rebounds for show. Fears has elevated the play of everyone around him.

Forward Cam Ward

The freshman Ward continues to amaze. In his second game against SEC opponents, Ward shined bright, with eight points and four rebounds on the night. When he was on the court, he was making an impact, and a dunk from a Fears Jr. lob was the perfect highlight of the night for him, too.

Much like McCulloch, one of Ward’s best plays was whistled as a foul, when the freshman one-armed and out-muscled a Wildcat defender for an offensive board, only for Ward to be the one labeled with a foul. Regardless, both Ward and fellow freshman Jordan Scott provided high quality minutes for the Spartans.