By IlliniGuys Staff

February 7, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 22 of his 26 points after halftime as 10th ranked Michigan State stunned No. 5 Illinois 85-82 in a physical thriller between Big Ten powers that went to overtime.

Fears hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Spartans an 85-79 lead, but Illinois star freshman Keaton Wagler hit a three-pointer with six seconds on the clock and then stole the inbounds pass from Fears. Zvonimir Ivisic missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer as the Illini came up just short.

Illinois took their biggest lead of the game at 47-39 on Wagler's first three-pointer, but the Spartans began to chip away. They went on a 10-1 run to tie the game at 49-49 and the team battled back and forth after that.

Michigan State took a 71-69 lead on Kur Teng's three pointer with eight seconds left and needed to make one more stop. But Fears gave a two-handed shove to Jake Davis on an offensive rebound attempt with one second on the clock. The junior, who had shot just 10 free throws all season, calmly sank both attempts to send the game to overtime.

The free throw line would be a factor in this game as Michigan State connected on 20-of-24 attempts, both numbers were the most for an Illini opponent all season. Illinois was called for 21 personal fouls, which ties a season high.

Illinois (20-4, 11-2 in Big Ten) sees its 12-game win streak ended, dating back to their only other conference loss at home to Nebraska back on December 13th. It also drops the Illini to 6-1 in Big Ten road games this season.

Meanwhile, Michigan State (20-4, 10-3 in Big Ten) tastes victory after losing back-to-back conference games to Michigan and Minnesota in the eight days. The Spartans have won four in a row against the Illini.

David Mirkovic led the Illini with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists while Andrej Stojakovic chipped in with 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Keaton Wagler scored in double-digits for the 16th straight time, but his 16 points came on 2-of-16 shooting as the Big Ten Player of the Year candidate was double-teamed on nearly every drive. Illinois is 14-2 during that stretch.

It was the sixth consecutive game that the Illini played without senior guard Kylan Boswell, as the team's top defender continues to recover from a broken hand.

The loss drops Illinois a game behind conference leader Michigan, tied with Nebraska while they remain a game ahead of Michigan State and Purdue in the standings.

Illinois returns to action Tuesday night against Wisconsin at State Farm Center (7pm CT, NBC Sports Network and Peacock).

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