Fears was nearly unstoppable in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime, showing he can be the player MSU needs him to be without the extra contact or antics. He finished with a game-leading 26 points and 15 assists. 

With just over 30 seconds left, Fears brought the ball up the court and found Kur Teng in the corner for an open 3-pointer. He missed, but Jaxon Kohler grabbed the most important rebound of the night and found Teng for another shot — one he didn’t miss — giving them the lead with 8 seconds remaining. Illinois later hit two free throws to force overtime.

After the game, head coach Tom Izzo said, “Everyone did something.”

“Coop got some big-time rebounds, Jaxon Kohler gets 16 boards, that was more Michigan State,” Izzo said. We had to defend it. I think that is one of the better teams we played.”

Following Fears’ 26 points was Jaxon Kohler, who posted 11 points and 16 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. In his second start, Jordan Scott played with relentless effort, diving for loose balls and grabbing rebounds over Illinois’ pair of seven-footers. Scott finished with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, before fouling out in overtime.

Izzo has been a big supporter of Jordan Scott, often comparing him to former Spartan Max Christie. Three minutes into the game, Scott was hit above the eye and went to the locker room, getting treated with surgical glue above his right eye. 

Scott came back, only missing three minutes of game time and played staunch defense of Illinois’ Keaton Wagler. After one of the freshman’s best games of the year, Izzo said he played with a sense of urgency. 

“What do you say about Jordan?” Izzo said. He made some big shots, made a couple big free throws and his defense was unbelievable.”

Fears played two different games in Saturday night’s battle. For most of the game, Fears took a backseat to the Spartans' offensive attack, finding others for easy shots.

However, as the clock ran down in regulation, Fears took the game into his own hands, oozing confidence in multiple drives towards the rim. 

Fears drove coast to coast, weaving through towering Illinois defenders to reach the paint, where he scored and drew fouls. He provided MSU with the means to pull ahead. Fears made all 10 of his final free throws and scored 16 points in the final five minutes and overtime.

This past week, Fears was under the spotlight for his technical foul at Minnesota and plays against Michigan that caught the attention of UM head coach Dusty May. Tonight, Fears played a different game. The redshirt sophomore point guard was first a facilitator and a scorer second. 

"MVP" chants rang through the arena as Fears hit his final free throws to put it away, a testament to the floor general's ability to make the game his own. In the locker room post-game, Fears said he was glad he could both find his open teammates and score himself when the moment was right. 

“Me being a point guard here, I have to have the balance of being able to get Jaxon [Kohler] shots, Jordan [Scott] shots and Kur [Teng] shots, so it’s understanding that that's my job, and that's my role,” Fears said. “I'm trying to do that to the best of my ability. But also, sometimes I have to take what the defense is giving me.”

MSU’s biggest strength was its ability to stick to its gameplan, never letting an Illinois offensive spurt or block hinder its hunt for the win. 

After a pair of games where all offense was forcibly funneled through Fears, MSU flipped the script with four in double figures in a well-rounded attack that excelled in transition. 

Coming out of halftime down four, MSU blitzed Illinois, making six of eight field goals in the first seven minutes. MSU outscored the Illini 22-0 in transition, a vital part of the plan to outpace Illinois. One of only two teams to out-rebound MSU in the Big Ten, Illinois consistently sent four players to the rim, giving MSU opportunities for quick outlet passes and fast-break points.

Izzo said transition was a big reason for the win. 

“We knew they were bigger than us, stronger, heavier, shot it better. We knew all those things,“ Izzo said. “We thought if we could defend them decently and rebound the ball, we could run them.”

Turnovers, which have been the Achilles heel of the Spartans this season, didn’t hinder MSU in the slightest. MSU had eight turnovers to Illinois' four, the sixth time this season MSU has registered fewer than 10. 

MSU now has a six-day break before facing Wisconsin in Madison on Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m.