Coming off a statement week that featured back-to-back wins over top-10 opponents - including a commanding 83-71 road victory at Michigan State - Michigan head coach Dusty May had plenty of reasons to be upbeat during his weekly press conference on Monday in Ann Arbor. But when the conversation shifted to some controversial moments from that rivalry win in East Lansing, May’s tone shifted noticeably.
At the center of the discussion: Michigan State freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who lit up the stat sheet with 31 points and six assists but also found himself in the middle of several questionable plays that didn’t sit well with May or the Michigan bench.
One sequence in particular drew scrutiny. Fears drove into the lane before kicking the ball out to the right corner for a Jaxon Kohler three-point attempt.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, initially stationed on the low block to defend the drive, rotated out to contest the shot. As he did, Fears appeared to extend his right leg in Lendeborg’s path - a move that looked suspiciously like an attempt to trip the Michigan defender.
When asked about the play, May didn’t mince words.
“Appeared,” he said pointedly. “Wasn’t an illusion, right?”
That wasn’t the only moment that raised eyebrows.
Later in the game, Fears went up to catch a pass and came down near Michigan guard L.J. Cason.
It looked like Fears tried to draw contact by landing awkwardly in Cason’s space - a dangerous play, especially when players are airborne. There was no whistle on the play, and Fears scrambled to recover the ball, eventually delivering a bounce pass to Jordan Scott.
But as he got up, video angles appeared to show Fears wrapping his left arm around Cason’s leg, causing the Michigan guard to fall backward.
And then came the most blatant moment - at least in the officials’ eyes. Lendeborg had a clear path to the rim when Fears came in from behind and delivered a hard slap, drawing an immediate intentional foul call. Lendeborg, unfazed, walked to the free-throw line with his hands raised, letting the officials handle it.
These weren’t just isolated incidents, according to May. While he acknowledged the emotional edge that comes with rivalry games - and referenced last season’s senior day drama between the two programs - he made it clear that these plays crossed a line.
“I think there were several plays that were very dangerous,” May said. “I am incredibly proud of our guys for the response they had to some of those situations - their self-control, self-restraint, and impulse control. I’ll leave it at that.
“But they’re not isolated incidents. The film is there. Forty minutes of it, it’s not hard to find.”
As of now, Michigan’s coaching staff hasn’t reached out to Michigan State regarding the incidents, and there’s been no indication of further disciplinary action. But May’s comments made one thing clear: while the scoreboard showed a Michigan win, the tape tells a more complicated story - one that could have implications beyond just a heated rivalry game.