In a showdown of two of the best teams in the country, No. 10 Michigan State beat No. 5 Illinois 85-82 in overtime in Saturday night. Here's the story on the game, plus a complete roundup of Big Ten action and the schedule for the week as we head down the home stretch.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Despite some ugly moments that he probably wishes he could take back, Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. has been proving all season that he's one of the best point guards in the Big Ten.
He might even be the league's player of the year. He certainly made a case for that Saturday, scoring on a three-point play in overtime to give No. 10 Michigan State an stunning 85-82 win against No. 5 Illinois at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
It was a thrilling end to one of the best games in the Big Ten this season.
“Kind of taking what they were giving me a little,” Fears said at his locker after the victory, “that midrange-ish area, some floaters, got some layups, got some pullups, trying to mix it up.”
Fears scored 26 points, and 11 of those came in overtime. He also had 15 assists, his seventh double-double of the season. His 15 assists vs. a top-five team were the most in a Big Ten game in 30 years. It's the second time in three weeks that he's had 15-plus assists. He had 17 against Maryland on Jan. 24.
Here's the game story from Spartans Roundtable writer Nick Faber
Illinois' 12-game winning streak came to an end in the loss, a streak that dates back to Dec. 3. They are 20-4 now and 11-2 in the Big Ten, falling out of first place.
Michigan State is also 20-4, and 10-3 in the league. They snapped a brief two-game losing streak with the win.
Fears has been a big reason why. He leads the nation with 9.1 assists a game, and played 43 minutes on Saturday. He was in the spotlight for some dirty plays against Michigan, and coach Tom Izzo had even talked about disciplining him in some way.
Instead, he put him on the court — and kept him on the court — letting him help the Spartans stay in the thick of the Big Ten race.
Michigan State held Illinois star Kaeton Wagler to just 16 points on 2-of-16 shooting. He had been average 27.2 points per game in the past three weeks.
"That was a high-level college basketball game. Two teams, about what I expected to be. Hats off to Tom Izzo,'' Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "Things we haven't been doing, a few lane violations, just little things that add up over the course of the night. Proud of our guys, I thought we battled. Hats off to Michigan State, today was their day.
"Michigan State did a good job on Keaton Wagler, so give them all the credit. He got the looks and shots, but a shooter cannot worry about bad nights. That is a distraught locker room. There are a lot of guys that want to win and care. You've got to play your tail off and play hard. This is a quick turnaround, that is the Big Ten."
Saturday's Big Ten Results
INDIANA 78, WISCONSIN 77, OT: Lamar Wilkerson hit two free throws with 2.8 seconds left in overtime to give Indiana a 78-77 win at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers blew a 13-point second half lead, but found a way to pull it out. READ MORE
NO. 9 NEBRASKA 80, RUTGERS 68: Rienk Mast scored 26 points and the Cornhuskers cruised to an easy 80-68 road win over Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. Nebraska (21-2, 10-2 in Big Ten) played another clean game, committing just six turnovers to remain just a game out of first in the conference race.
NO 12 PURDUE 68, OREGON 64: Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points to lead Purdue in scoring for the second straight game, leading the Boilermakers to a 68-64 win over Oregon at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Loyer made three of four three-pointers, but the rest of his teammates were just 2-for-14 from deep in a game that was much closer than it should have been. Oregon struggled from deep as well, making just 5-of-20 deep balls.
UCLA 77, WASHINGTON 73: Trent Perry scored 23 points and led UCLA on a second-half rally to beat Washington 77-73 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Bruins had three other scorers in double figures. Tyler Bilodeau had 19, Donovan Dent 17 and Eric Bailey Jr. had 14. UCLA is now 17-7 overall and 9-4 in the Big Ten. They've won five of their past six games, with the only loss in double overtime to Indiana on Jan. 31. READ MORE
This week's Big Ten Schedule
Sunday's games (Feb. 8)
USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions, Noon ET at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. TV: Big Ten Network. Point spread: USC is a 3.5-point favorite according to Fanduel.com. The over/under is 155.5.
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes, 1 p.m. ET at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. TV: CBS. Point spread: Michigan is a 9.5-point favorite according to Fanduel.com. The over/under is 159.5.
Maryland Terrapins vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers, 2 p.m. ET at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. TV: Big Ten Network. Point spread: Minnesota is a 9.5-point favorite according to Fanduel.com. The over/under is 138.5.
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes, 3 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. TV: FOX Sports 1. Point spread: Iowa is a 12.5-point favorite according to Fanduel.com. The over/under is 140.5.
Monday's game (Feb. 9)
Oregon Ducks vs. Indiana Hoosiers, 8:30 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. TV: FOX Sports 1.
Tuesday's games (Feb. 10)
No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 7 p.m. ET at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. TV: FOX Sports 1.
Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini, 8 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Champaign, Ill. TV: Peacock/NBC Sports Network.
Wednesday's games (Feb. 11)
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins, 6 p.m. ET at Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. TV: FOX Sports 1.
USC Trojans vs. Ohio State Buckeyes, 6:30 p.m. ET at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. TV: Big Ten Network.
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines vs. Northwestern Wildcats, 8:30 p.m. ET at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. TV: Big Ten Network.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Washington Huskies, 10:30 p.m. ET at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. TV: Big Ten Network.
Thursday's games (Feb. 12)
None
Friday's game (Feb. 13)
No. 10 Michigan State Spartans vs. Wisconsin Badgers, 8 p.m. ET at Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. TV: FOX.
Saturday's games (Feb. 14)
UCLA Bruins vs. No. 2 Michigan Wolverines, 1 p.m. ET at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. TV: CBS.
Northwestern Wildcats vs. No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 1 p.m. ET at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. TV: Big Ten Network.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Oregon Ducks, 3 p.m. ET at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. TV: Big Ten Network.
No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes, 5 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. TV: FOX.
No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes, 8 p.m. ET at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. TV. FOX.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Washington Huskies, 10 p.m. ET at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. TV: Big Ten Network.
Sunday's games (Feb. 15)
Maryland Terrapins vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Noon ET at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, N.J. TV: Big Ten Network.
Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini, 1 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Champaign, Ill. TV: CBS.