EAST LANSING, Mich. — Breslin Center welcomed back Michigan State’s 2000 national championship team Saturday afternoon, led by legendary Flintstones point guard Mateen Cleaves. But as he and his teammates watched their present-day proteges, they watched a Spartans team down a leader of its own.

Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. missed the game against Oregon with an illness that has been circulating the locker room. After struggling the first half, No. 9 Michigan State (19-4, 10-2) responded with a resilient second half to win, 86-74, to halt a brief two-game slide.

With the victory, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo tied Bobby Knight for Big Ten victories, with 353 — with a chance for Izzo to break the record against Knight's former program, Indiana, on Tuesday in East Lansing.

In Fears’ place, freshman guard Jase Richardson made his first career start, his father, Jason, an NBA veteran who helped that 2000 team win the only title of the Izzo era. The younger Richardson scored a career-high 29 points in his starting debut.

Richardson’s success didn’t mean the Spartans didn’t miss their usual point guard. A pair of turnovers by center Szymon Zapala and miscommunication by the guards gave Oregon (16-8, 5-8) an early 8-2 lead. Between a pair of Richardson free throws, Izzo subbed in center Carson Cooper for Zapala.

Despite a calming effect from Cooper that helped Michigan State to a four-point lead, this success was fleeting. Oregon took over the rest of the first half.

As foul calls slowed down the game, Michigan State didn’t make a field goal for nearly four minutes between a Coen Carr hook shot at 10:18 and a Tre Holloman 3 at 6:20. Meanwhile, Oregon hit shot after shot. Fears’ absence was felt at both ends, both in his ability to calmly regroup the offense and his ability to defend one-on-one.

Once guard Kwame Evans Jr. retook the lead for Oregon with a 3, his Ducks hit six more before the end of the half, with Keeshawn Barthelemy hitting one at the end of the half for good measure. Star point guard Jackson Shelstad hit four 3s in the half for an 18-point explosion. By the end, Michigan State trailed 50-36 on another buzzer-beating 3.

Michigan State came out of the locker room with a 12-0 run to start the second frame kicked off by a Holloman corner 3. Oregon called timeout in the middle of it as Breslin Center came alive, with a fired-up Kohler pumping his fist and yelling to the crowd in exhilaration.

Even as Oregon mustered its first response off split free throws and a Supreme Cook and-one, Michigan State kept its momentum rolling. But a burst of fouls from Michigan State — seven of them in as many minutes to open the half — threatened to derail the strong start. The final of that sequence, a blocking foul called on forward Frankie Fidler, caused an outburst from Izzo that earned a technical foul.

Oregon hit all four free throws, but Michigan State stormed right back. Guard Jaden Akins — who made just one bucket in the first half — sank a 3 and followed it up with a dunk. As Holloman hit a 3 to make it 62-61 Oregon, Breslin exploded once again.

Kohler converted a putback and-one to take the lead with 10:05 to go. Between Akins’ 3 and a pair of Zapala free throws at 8:26, Michigan State put together a 17-2 run to take over.

This stretch put Michigan State in the driver’s seat as Richardson put the finishing touches on his performance to end the game with eight of his team’s final 14 points.

An emotional Izzo addressed the crowd after the game, thanking the 2000 team and the crowd for supporting him for 30 years.

"That was not a pretty first half," Izzo said. "I don't really give a s--- about the first half."

A pretty finish? At the very least, a historic one.

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