The Michigan State Spartans walked out of Jersey Mike’s Arena with an 88-79 overtime win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Tuesday night, but the team's head coach, Tom Izzo, made it clear the result didn’t fool him. Despite extending the Spartans’ winning streak to seven and improving to 19-2 on the season, Izzo felt his team spent most of the night getting outplayed.
After the game, the Hall of Fame coach praised some of the effort plays that swung the outcome, particularly from players whose impact went beyond box-score numbers. At the same time, he delivered a blunt assessment of the overall performance.
“Coen [Carr] did some pretty good things that help us win games,” said Izzo, via Fox College Hoops. “We had a lot of guys that helped us win this game that, as you say, won't show up in the stat sheet. But, we got our butts kicked most of that game, guys, and we're going to have to be better if we're going to move forward.”
"We got our butts kicked most of that game, guys."
Michigan State HC Tom Izzo gives his honest thoughts on the Spartans' close win against Rutgers. pic.twitter.com/wfvsVUUzVk
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 28, 2026
The game itself felt like a reality check after Michigan State basketball’s recent run of comfortable wins. Rutgers’ energy and physical defense, fueled by a loud Piscataway crowd, repeatedly knocked the No. 8 Spartans off rhythm. Every time Michigan State trimmed a double-digit deficit, the Scarlet Knights answered with timely shots that threatened to snap the streak.
That changed late. Divine Ugochukwu drilled a clutch three-pointer with 11.1 seconds left to force overtime, setting the stage for Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaxon Kohler to take control. Fears, limited early by foul trouble, erupted for a career-high 29 points while calmly sealing the game at the free-throw line. Kohler’s early overtime burst helped flip momentum for good.
Michigan State’s toughness showed most on the glass. The Spartans dominated rebounds 45-22, including 13 offensive boards that created crucial second chances in the extra period. Those gritty possessions allowed MSU to outlast Rutgers even when the offense sputtered.
It wasn’t pretty and Izzo didn’t pretend otherwise but it was the kind of road test that can shape a season. After cruising through recent games, Michigan State finally faced sustained adversity and found a way through it.
