NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
EAST LANSING — Jordan Scott glowed as he proudly wore a bandage above his right eye while sitting in front of his locker. A badge of honor from a hard-fought defensive war showing why the Michigan State basketball shooting guard is fast becoming one of Tom Izzo’s “OKGs” – “Our Kinda Guys.”
To his right, fellow freshman Cam Ward breathed a sigh of relief from shedding his own medical tape, with his right wrist finally feeling healthy again and his rebounding and scoring returning to early season form.
Advertisement
To the left of Scott, sophomore Kur Teng exuded the confidence of a man who just hit the biggest shot of his life – perhaps the biggest of the season so far for the Spartans – by doing the job Izzo called upon him to do. And by not hesitating to trust himself when given a second chance.
Despite another monster game from Jeremy Fears Jr. and his other three captains in No. 10 MSU’s 85-83 overtime win over No. 7 Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 7, Izzo pointed to the contributions of his reserves and role players for pulling off another résumé-building victory and getting the Spartans back on track after a two-game losing streak.
“Everybody did something,” Izzo said.
Michigan State’s Jordan Scott, left, pressures Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
THE ROAD TO MARCH MADNESS: Michigan State basketball bracketology: From road bump to redemption
Advertisement
Scott showed why he earned his second career start and his first at Breslin Center with his scrappy, high-energy play and smothering defensive presence.
The 6-foot-8 rookie shouldered the bulk of the defensive burden in guarding Keaton Wagler, holding the Illinois star freshman to just 2-for-16 shooting while using up all five of his fouls in nearly 28 minutes of court time. Wagler – a 6-6 swingman who had 46 points in a road game against Purdue four games earlier – finished with 16 points but also had three turnovers to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jordan-scotts-d-kur-tengs-100505282.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-02-11 10:05:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
