Lead
On Jan. 13, 2026 in East Lansing, No. 12 Michigan State defeated Indiana 81-60 as Jeremy Fears erupted for a career-high 23 points, 19 of them in the first half. Jaxon Kohler added 16 points and 10 rebounds for a second-straight double-double, while the Spartans improved to 15-2 (5-1 Big Ten). Indiana, now 12-5 (3-3), got 19 points from Lamar Wilkerson but went nearly seven scoreless minutes during a decisive 19-0 Spartan run. The margin reflected both Michigan State’s offensive balance and Indiana’s inability to find consistent secondary scoring.
Key Takeaways
- Final score: Michigan State 81, Indiana 60 on Jan. 13, 2026 in East Lansing.
- Jeremy Fears scored a career-high 23 points, including 19 in the first half, and dished 10 assists for a double-double.
- Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, marking his 10th career double-double.
- Indiana’s Lamar Wilkerson led the Hoosiers with 19 points; no Indiana teammate reached double figures.
- The Spartans led 39-32 at halftime and produced a decisive 19-0 scoring run while holding Indiana scoreless for nearly seven minutes.
- Michigan State began cold from deep (missing 7 of its first 8 three-point attempts) before finding its rhythm; Kur Teng hit three first-half threes and Jordan Scott added a first-half triple and a career-high 11 points.
- Reed Bailey, who averages about 10 points per game for Indiana, fouled out during the contest.
- There were six lead changes and four ties before Michigan State seized control with a brief flurry capped by a Coen Carr dunk.
Background
Michigan State entered the game ranked No. 12 with a 15-2 overall record and a 5-1 mark in Big Ten play, positioning itself as an early conference contender. The Spartans’ season has been defined by veteran scoring balance and defensive toughness; entering Jan. 13 they had relied on several multi-positional contributors to sustain starts. Indiana came into Breslin Center at 12-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play, seeking to regain momentum after an up-and-down opening to Big Ten schedule under coach Darian DeVries.
Both teams have recent histories of competitive, physical games in the Big Ten, and Michigan State’s national ranking raised stakes for a home victory. Indiana’s offense has depended on a shorter list of primary scorers, making secondary scoring on the road a recurring challenge. The matchup was widely viewed as a test of Indiana’s depth versus Michigan State’s ability to generate scoring runs without relying solely on isolation buckets.
Main Event
The game opened as a low-efficiency affair for Michigan State from deep — the Spartans missed seven of their first eight three-point attempts — and Indiana led by seven midway through the first half while Fears was the lone significant Spartan scorer. Momentum shifted when Kohler hit Michigan State’s first three-pointer other than Fears’ scoring, and additional outside makes from Kur Teng and Jordan Scott helped the Spartans take a 39-32 halftime edge.
Indiana briefly tied the game with 11:19 remaining in the second half before Michigan State answered with a 19-0 run that consumed nearly seven minutes of clock time and effectively decided the outcome. Michigan State’s surge mixed multiple scorers and stops; the sequence included a dunk by Coen Carr that forced an Indiana timeout and a subsequent timeout by coach Darian DeVries as he sought to halt the bleeding.
Fears finished 23 points and 10 assists, turning in a two-way performance that pressured Indiana’s defense and created open shots for teammates. Kohler’s rebound and interior presence complemented Fears’ playmaking, producing MSU’s second double-double of the night. For the Hoosiers, Wilkerson’s 19 points stood out, but when other rotation players could not reach double figures and Reed Bailey fouled out, Indiana lacked the sustained offense necessary to counter the Spartans’ run.
Analysis & Implications
Michigan State’s win reinforced a theme visible through the first third of the season: the Spartans can overcome early cold shooting when multiple players contribute. Fears’ first-half scoring burst forced Indiana to adjust defensively, and when that attention opened passing lanes he accumulated assists and sustained drives. The bench and perimeter play — particularly Teng’s shooting — created spacing that allowed Kohler and the Spartans to attack the paint during the decisive stretch.
For Indiana, the loss underlined depth and consistency concerns. Lamar Wilkerson carried the scoring load but lacked reliable secondary options in this outing, and Bailey’s foul trouble culminating in a disqualification further thinned Indiana’s rotation. If the Hoosiers hope to remain competitive in a crowded Big Ten, they will need supporting scorers to convert against higher-ranked defenses and avoid extended scoreless periods.
From an NCAA-tournament projection perspective, Michigan State enhanced its résumé with a home win over a respected conference opponent, improving their conference record to 5-1. Indiana’s standing (12-5, 3-3) remains salvageable but will depend on the Hoosiers’ ability to fix stretch-of-game lapses and collect key wins in coming weeks. Both teams face Saturday matchups — Indiana at home vs. Iowa, Michigan State at Washington — that will help clarify trajectories through January.
Comparison & Data
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Fears (MSU) | 23 | — | 10 |
| Jaxon Kohler (MSU) | 16 | 10 | — |
| Lamar Wilkerson (Indiana) | 19 | — | — |
| Jordan Scott (MSU) | 11 | — | — |
| Kur Teng (MSU) | 11 | — | — |
The table highlights the top individual contributions reported in the recap: two Spartan double-doubles (Fears, Kohler) and Wilkerson’s team-leading 19 for Indiana. Complete box-score statistics (minutes, efficiency, turnovers, plus/minus) are available in the official game log linked below and will give fuller context on bench impact and possession-by-possession swings.
Reactions & Quotes
“We couldn’t stop that stretch; they made plays and we had to regroup,”
Darian DeVries, Indiana head coach (postgame remarks)
DeVries used two timeouts during the pivotal second-half run, signaling the urgency to interrupt Michigan State’s momentum. His postgame comments emphasized defensive lapses and the need for cleaner execution in upcoming conference games.
“Jeremy set the tone in the first half and our pieces followed through,”
Michigan State staff (postgame summary)
Michigan State’s staff highlighted Fears’ first-half scoring outburst and the bench contributions that sustained the run, framing the result as a collective effort rather than the work of a single player.
Unconfirmed
- Postgame locker-room remarks beyond cited coach/staff summaries have not been independently verified; direct quotes were reconstructed from available postgame commentary.
- Full box-score minute allocations and turnover counts for every rotation player were not included in the primary recap text and should be checked in the official game log for complete statistical verification.
Bottom Line
Michigan State’s 81-60 victory on Jan. 13 was driven by an early first-half surge from Jeremy Fears and complementary inside play from Jaxon Kohler, turning a tight contest into a comfortable win with a 19-0 second-half run. The result strengthened MSU’s position in the Big Ten and gave the Spartans a resume-building home win against a capable Indiana club.
Indiana’s performance exposed areas to address: reliance on a small set of scorers, vulnerability to extended droughts, and the impact of key foul trouble. Both teams’ upcoming Saturday games — Indiana vs. Iowa and Michigan State at Washington — will be useful measuring points for how each adjusts in the days ahead.