EAST LANSING – Jordan Scott’s first 3-pointer dropped purely, like a karmic reversal of fortune. And it opened the nets in a way Michigan State basketball hasn’t experienced during this Big Ten season.
In turn, the Spartans’ most prolific outside shooting of the season started opening things up inside for Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. And No. 15 MSU’s holistic offensive effort against UCLA provided a few benefits Tom Izzo hopes can carry through the rest of the season.
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It allowed the Spartans to overcome a five-game streak of shaky starts. It allowed Izzo’s two senior post players to have their best performances in weeks. And it showed what MSU is capable of when the shots start falling and the defense returns to form – as it did in an 82-59 win on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. celebrates after a Coen Carr dunk against UCLA during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
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The Spartans delivered to the Bruins what the Spartans had received four days earlier from Wisconsin: A dominating blowout from start to finish.
“It just shows it’s a wild game,” said third-year sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who had 16 points and 10 assists. “Some days, you make every shot; and some days, you miss every shot. Some days, the other team makes every shot; and some days, they miss every shot. …
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“[Against Wisconsin], we couldn’t make anything, and they played great and we played bad. Just tonight, it was a little role reversal, I guess you could say.”
Fears hit a career-high four 3-pointers as MSU (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten) went 14-for-27 from 3-point range, a season high for makes behind the arc. Jordan Scott went 3-for-3 in the first half beyond the arc as the Spartans’ lead grew as big as 24 points before halftime. They added to it throughout the second half, during which sophomore Kur Teng hit all three of his 3s.
“I thought Jeremy might have played one of his best games. And the reason is, he seemed so under control,” Izzo said. “He made good shots.”
Likewise, Coen Carr drained a pair of 3-pointers, making UCLA’s defense pay for sagging off both him and Fears and trying to clog the middle of the floor.
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“Hopefully [defenders] will start to press up on me a little bit, so I can create some more space for my guys down there,” said Carr, who scored 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a pair of midrange jumpers after halftime.
In the middle, Kohler and Cooper – who combined for 21 points and 17 rebounds – both saw the benefits of the UCLA defense being stretched outside.
The two shot 5-for-6 in the first half, including a 3-pointer from Kohler that jumpstarted a 10-minute, 26-3 run. Cooper also hit a midrange jumper, put the ball on the floor for a driving three-point play and went 5-for-5 at the free-throw line, reaching 11 points at the break.
Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler scores against UCLA during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
“I think we did a great job of moving the ball and capitalizing off our offensive rebounds,” Cooper said. “When the guards hit shots, they can’t just sink in the paint and just crowd everything up.”
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MSU had its most 3-pointers since hitting 16 against Nebraska on Feb. 28, 2023. That game with the ‘Huskers is the Spartans’ only other game with at least 14 3-pointers against a Big Ten opponent since 2018, when they had 16 against Maryland and 14 against Minnesota.
Tuesday’s showing was a cathartic performance after MSU was shelled by 21 on Friday by Wisconsin. After giving up 15 3-pointers to the Badgers, the Spartans held UCLA to 8-for-25 from behind the arc.
“Michigan State, coming off a loss on the road, they got guys that’ve been in their program that have a lot of pride in their program,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “I thought that was the best game they’ve played all year – 14-for-27 from 3? They don’t shoot it like that. But not a surprise that we took their best shot, not a surprise at all.”
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. makes a 3-pointer against UCLA during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
It also ended a streak of five straight games in which MSU trailed deeply, including four double-digit halftime deficits (against Rutgers, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin). Only two of those games resulted in wins: The Spartans trailed by nine less than a minute into the second half against Illinois before winning in overtime, and rallied to beat the Scarlet Knights in OT the previous week. Against the Wolverines and Golden Gophers, MSU clawed back into the game before falling in regulation.
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“It is important to get off to a good start,” Izzo said, “but I’d much rather get off to a good finish. And that’s what I kept telling my guys. We just gotta keep working through it.”
And with Ohio State visiting Breslin on Sunday (1 p.m., CBS) after knocking off the Badgers on Tuesday, MSU knows that, at this point, every victory is important to its Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament seeding. And with U-M now a 92% favorite to finish off a regular-season title and end the Spartans’ reign, Izzo knows the bigger picture comes down to doing the little things in the final month.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a little better,” he said. “That’s the name of the game in the stretch run. You gotta win games, but you gotta get better each game.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Stage basketball unveils surprise from 3-point range
