INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The No. 1-seeded Michigan State Spartans beat the No. 8-seeded Oregon Ducks, 74-64, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan State leaned on the production of its starting backcourt, with Spartan guards Jase Richardson, Jaden Akins and Jeremy Fears Jr. combining for 40 points.
Fears controlled the tempo of the game, pushing the pace and driving to the basket with aggression. The redshirt freshman led the game as a +20 in the first half and finished with 11 points and five assists.
“I felt like he had good pushes, too, getting to the basket and kicking it out. I felt like those plays he made for us were real big for us in the game,” said Spartan forward Coen Carr.
After missing the regular season game against Oregon, Fears proved to be the difference on the defensive end when defending Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad.
“I thought he guarded the ball well, guarded Shelstad well, made everything hard for him, and that’s what we told him to do,” Carr said.
Richardson started the game slow, missing a few jump shots and free throw attempts. But, the freshman was kickstarted by scoring 5 points in a single possession, carrying the hot hand for the remainder of the second half.
“I think what I am proudest about him is that he’s embraced the process,” Izzo said. “He just has that very cerebral, very intelligent way of looking at the game. Talking to me about back-door plays and things he thinks could work.”
Richardson continues to prove he is one of the best freshmen in the nation, leading the Spartans in scoring for the fifth time over their eight-game winning streak.
Akins, who was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team, provided a veteran presence, playing in his seventh Big Ten Tournament game. Akins scored 12 points and was a crucial player in the Spartans’ victory.
“I feel like winning [the regular season title] made me feel good and hungry to do more,” Akins said. “I feel like everybody’s on the same page with that, and we just want to win as many games as possible now.”
The only fault of Michigan State’s backcourt was the missed opportunities at the free-throw line, shooting 55% on 20 attempts.
“The last thing that hurt us is something that hadn’t hurt us all year, and that is, we missed a lot of free throws, and that’s uncharacteristic of us,” Izzo said.
Michigan State will advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, to face the No. 5-seeded Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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