This Friday, No. 3 Michigan and MSU will face off for each team’s most anticipated game of the year to decide first place in the Big Ten. Both 9-1 in the conference after Michigan escaped from No. 5 Nebraska’s grip at Crisler Center, it will be the first time the two teams square off in a top-10 matchup. 

For a team to succeed in March, the ability to win multiple ways is essential. MSU played its worst half of basketball of the year. The Spartans turned the ball over ten times, shot 37% from the field and trailed Rutgers by nine at the break. Nobody had more than five points in the first half, and the offense stagnated.

MSU’s 28 first-half points tied its season-low in output. MSU was disjointed on offense, and with Fears picking up two first-half fouls, the team had no direction from its savvy point guard. 

After the game, Izzo was critical of his players committing turnovers due to lazy play, but said he was glad to get the win. 

“They outcoached us and outplayed us for 90% of that game,” head coach Tom Izzo said. 

Fears has been another version of Tom Izzo on the court for over 30 minutes a game. The Redshirt sophomore point guard has garnered national attention with his manipulation of help defenders and keen spatial awareness, not to mention his 9 assists per game, which ranks second in the nation.

Against Rutgers, Fears scored a career high 29 points on 6-for-12 from the field and 16-for-17 from the line. He amassed 9 assists, including the game-tying assist to Divine Ugochukwu, who cashed from three.

When Fears was off the court, Rutgers outscored MSU 24-15. Whether it was Denham Wojcik or Ugochukwu at the point, neither could match Fear’s presence at the top of the key. Against Rutgers, Fears acted as a calming agent for the rest of his team. As soon as he steps on the court, MSU’s plays open up, and everyone collectively makes better decisions. 

The Spartans had more than a handful of mistakes to take care of in the first half, but as it has all year, MSU responded accordingly. A fury of well-timed shots and a game-tying three-pointer from Ugochukwu were all MSU needed to shift the momentum for a final time. 

“There's always a game or two in the season that you have to win when you don't play as well or the other the opponent plays really well,” Izzo said. “That’s how you stay above water. And tonight it almost took a miracle on that last play.”

This year, MSU outscores its opponents in the second half alone by more than 7 points, according to TeamRankings. It’s been an essential part of MSU’s game. When down 7 at the half against Northwestern, MSU rallied and led the Wildcats by a margin of 17 points in the second half. Up two at half to Oregon a week ago, MSU turned things on its head by the end of the game, posting a 14-point edge after the midway point. MSU ranks 19th in the country in second-half margin.

With Michigan two days away, MSU will need to start hot and continue the same momentum following the break. Both of the Spartans’ losses this year have come to teams that outperform them in the final 20 minutes. Nebraska sports a plus-9.7 margin while No. 4 Duke ranks second in the nation at plus-11.2.

Not to the MSU’s luck, Michigan also ranks in the top 10. This year, Michigan has been a basketball team that, to put it simply, doesn’t slow down. In its win over Nebraska, UM entered the break up two and led by nine with 11 minutes to go. The Wolverines didn’t falter, though. Four finished in double figures, even against Nebraska's top-ten defense. 

Fears will be the central character of Friday night’s tilt, but who comes next has fluctuated all season. Until recently, Senior forward Jaxon Kohler has been the go-to stretch forward who fits well in the Spartans' rotation. However, he’s seen the ball less and shot marginally worse, eclipsing 50% once in the past four games. 

Without Kohler seeing as many touches, senior center Carson Cooper has filled the role of a strong post presence. He doesn’t have the same abilities outside the arc, but Cooper has elite screen and roll skills and gets open for simple passes down low often.

MSU tips off in its most impactful and highest-ranked game of the year against Michigan on Jan. 30 at 8:00 p.m., which will be broadcast by Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery on Fox. 

“We got our butts kicked most of that game,” Izzo said. “We're going to have to be better if we're going to move forward."