Michigan State Basketball: Three Quick Takeaways as Spartans Decimate Maryland

On Saturday, Michigan State basketball returned to the Breslin Center after their West Coast swing. It was a historic return, as the Spartans destroyed Maryland by 43 points in their second largest victory in Big Ten Conference play ever. Jeremy Fears Jr. led the way with a mind-blowing 17 points, 17 assists. The 17 assists is tied for second in Michigan State basketball history in a single game.

Here are three quick takeaways from Saturday’s 91-48 win over the Terrapins.

1. Jeremy Fears Jr. Legacy Game

Jeremy Fears Jr. was all over the court on Saturday, with the aforementioned 17-17 statline. There was no one that could guard Fears, and the sophomore was unphased by his four turnovers. He hit on his only three point attempt, while adding five shots from the field. Meanwhile, he dealt his damage and assist total in only 25:29 of action.

Wherever Fears was at, he was the player to watch. At halftime, Fears had a perfect shooting statline and eight assists. He somehow managed to double his assist total while adding six points and his impact was all over the court.

Post-game, the sophomore revealed he had not talked to Mateen Cleaves yet, but was excited to speak to the former all-time great under Tom Izzo.

2. Michigan State basketball defense was suffocating

On Saturday, Michigan State basketball entered with the top defense in the country, via KenPom. The Spartans did nothing to hurt that ranking today, holding the Terrapins to a season-low 48 points, and the lowest output by an opponent since February 2023, when Ohio State could only muster 41 points.

Carson Cooper had three steals, and recorded six defensive boards. Cam Ward added a pair of blocks and three defensive boards, and Maryland only had nine offensive boards. The Spartans owned the glass and Maryland was held to 33% on field goals and 23% on three point.

Maryland turned the ball over 11 times. Tom Izzo outright said it was a bad game from the Terrapins. That said, the defensive effort was there. Jaxon Kohler said post-game that he was most proud of the defensive effort over the offensive output of 91 points, but it was a complete game.

3. Complete Game Domination

This was the most complete game of Michigan State basketball in a long, long time. Tom Izzo’s Spartans have jumped out to massive leads, namely against San Jose State and Toledo, but could not finish with strong second halves.

On Saturday, the Spartans finished. They stepped up in the second half, outscoring the Terrapins by 20 points despite bringing the backups in for major chunks of the half. The largest lead of the game for MSU occurred with 23 seconds left in the game and stuck to the finish. Michigan State basketball dominated.

This was called a complete game, and for good reason. Cam Ward called this a complete 40 minutes of basketball, and it is hard to disagree. Add in Carson Cooper recording his first career three, and it was a very solid start to a Saturday for Spartan fans.

What is next for Michigan State?

The Spartans head to New Jersey to take on Rutgers on Tuesday. That game tips at 6:30 p.m. EST on FS1.