March 1, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Pierce Jr. (1) celebrates during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Image Jeremy Fears Jr. is six assists away from surpassing the most beloved player in Michigan State history.
Fears will play No. 1 in Big Ten action Wednesday night in East Lansing, Michigan. 8 When the Spartans face Rutgers, he is on the verge of passing Magic Johnson for third place on the school’s single-season assists list.
Fears leads the nation in assists with 9.1 per game and ranks fourth in school history with 264 total assists this season. Cassius Winston (291 in 2018-19) holds the record, followed by Martin Cleaves (274 in 1998-99) and Johnson (269 in 1978-79).
“He’s playing better than anyone in the league right now,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Tuesday. “He’s making the players around him better, and that’s what great players do. Mateen Cleaves and (Magic) had the ability to turn a decent player into a very good player.”
Pierce has reached double figures in assists 12 times this season. He has also scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games and leads the team with a scoring average of 15.1.
“What’s funny about Jeremy and I haven’t made any bones about it is that Jeremy has been a pain in the ass for a while, like any other great player I’ve had,” Izzo said. “I thought, ‘This kid needs me and I need him.’”
“…I’m really proud of what he’s accomplished. He’s faced adversity. Some have been detrimental, some not.”
The Spartans (24-5, 14-4 Big Ten) have won four straight and are on the verge of achieving a Big Ten Tournament triple bye. Michigan State is tied with Nebraska for second place with two regular season games remaining.
The Spartans won 77-64 over Indiana on Sunday. Pierce had 21 points and nine assists, and Jackson Koller had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Kohler, who is averaging 12.4 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds, broke out after scoring in single digits in five of his previous six games.
“Jaxon is struggling a little bit,” Fears said. “Now hopefully we can get him back on his feet. If he’s playing his best basketball, we’re playing our best basketball.”
The Scarlet Knights (12-17, 5-13) have won three of their last five games. They led Maryland by 19 points at halftime on Sunday before coming away with a 69-65 road win.
“We’ve got to play 40 minutes,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “Halftime doesn’t mean the game is over. Halftime means the battle has just begun.”
Tariq Francis led the Scarlet Knights with 19 points and knocked down all 10 of his free throw attempts. Darren Buchanan Jr. had 14 points as Rutgers dealt with a disappointing campaign.
“There’s never been a time like that,” Pikiell said. “When you’re fighting a cell phone and you’re fighting everything these guys have to fight and they have a choice, you have to keep them focused.”
Rutgers certainly deserved a better fate in its first meeting with Michigan State when it fell 88-79 in overtime at home on Jan. 27.
The Scarlet Knights, led by 12, had the Spartans fight back with less than 10 minutes to play, forcing OT on Divine Ugochukwu’s 3-pointer with 11.1 seconds left. Fears then took over in the extra session, scoring 10 of his 29 points.
Izzo later said Rutgers deserved to win the contest. He still feels that way.
“If you look at their record, Rutgers was the only team that played us as good or better than any other team we were playing,” Izzo said. “We got it in the end, but they probably deserved to beat us.”
–Field level media
