Back at the start of the decade, Northwestern was able to march into the Breslin Center and take down Michigan State basketball in two consecutive seasons. So, it’s understandable that MSU fans might have a little more anxiety when Chris Collins and the Wildcats roll into town. There was definitely some reason for concern, as MSU was down at the half, but ultimately, the Spartans rallied back and won by 10, 76-66.
Below, you can find our top three takeaways from the win.
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1. Jeremy Fears Jr. might be the most important Spartan in decades
I don’t want to be too hyperbolic, but I am starting to be able to make the argument that Jeremy Fears Jr. is the most important Spartan in decades. Let me explain. No, I don’t think Fears, at this point, is as good as Mateen Cleaves or Cassius Winston. Could he become that? Possibly. But right now, I don’t think he is. However, I’m not sure if a single player has been as important to an MSU team in quite some time as Fears has been to this one. Heck, you might have to go back to the days of Magic Johnson to find someone who carries this much of a load for the Spartans.
We saw it play out in this game. Due to two early fouls, Fears was extremely limited in the first half, and MSU went into halftime down seven to a team that was 0-3 in the Big Ten. At home in the Breslin Center. As a reminder, MSU, led by Fears, is the No. 13-ranked team in the country. It’s hard to even imagine where they’d be without him. They prefer to play Divine Ugochukwu at the 2-guard when Fears is able to stay out of foul trouble. When he’s in foul trouble, they have to turn to Denham Wojcik at point guard, and we’ve all seen how that goes…
2. Jaxon Kohler’s shooting might just be real
We are 16 games into the season, and Jaxon Kohler’s three-point percentage is still above 50 percent. Even if he goes into a slump, it’s starting to look likely that he will end the season above 40 percent from three on good volume. He’s a legit threat from three, and I liked to see the coaching staff scheme up six three-point attempts for him tonight. I think we could see that number go up even higher in the future. This team really needs that shooting.
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3. Carson Cooper is reaching his final form
It’s rather infamous now, but it’s hard to fathom that Carson Cooper was, at one point, an unranked prospect. When he came in, Cooper impressed with some nice defensive instincts, good screening on offense, and quick feet. Now, he’s nearly averaging a double-double, and it wasn’t that shocking to see him set a new career-high with 18 points against Northwestern to go along with nine rebounds.
I am starting to wonder if there’s an outside shot we might see Carson Cooper wind up on an NBA bench someday. The fact that it doesn’t seem too crazy is shocking considering where he came from and a testament to his development.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over Northwestern
