Jeremy Fears Jr. Draws Heat Again After Controversial Play in Minnesota Loss
MINNEAPOLIS - Jeremy Fears Jr. is a name that’s been circling in Big Ten conversations lately-and not just for his playmaking. The Michigan State freshman point guard found himself at the center of controversy once again Wednesday night, this time for a questionable move that sparked a momentum shift and reignited talk about his on-court temperament.
Midway through the second half against Minnesota, with 13:28 on the clock, Fears was tangled up with Gophers guard Langston Reynolds when he suddenly flared his right leg backward, catching Reynolds in the groin. Initially, officials whistled Reynolds for the foul, but Minnesota head coach Niko Medved wasn’t buying it. He called for a review, and the replay told a different story-Fears had clearly initiated the contact.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo was livid in the moment, visibly shouting at the officials during the review. But once the footage confirmed the infraction, Izzo benched Fears and Minnesota capitalized.
Cade Tyson calmly drained both technical free throws, and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson followed it up with a layup to stretch the Gophers’ lead back to nine. Just moments earlier, the Spartans had trimmed a 12-point deficit down to five and were clawing their way back into the game.
The Fears foul halted that surge cold.
The incident drew immediate comparisons to former Spartan Draymond Green, whose own fiery style-and infamous leg kicks-have become a hallmark of his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors. But for Fears, this wasn’t just a one-off moment. It was the latest in a string of plays that have raised eyebrows around the conference.
Just a few days earlier, Michigan head coach Dusty May publicly called out Fears for what he described as “dangerous” actions during last Friday’s rivalry game. One of those plays appeared to show Fears tripping Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg. May didn’t mince words when asked about it.
“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.”
That last line landed with weight-May clearly believes this behavior isn’t new, and he’s not the only one watching the tape.
Izzo, never one to back down from a challenge, fired back when asked about May’s comments. The longtime MSU coach acknowledged that he spoke with Fears about his behavior but stood by his player, framing the situation as part of the natural intensity that comes with heated matchups.
“There were some things that Jeremy did, I addressed him on it,” Izzo said. “But him and their point guard [Elliot Cadeau] were going at it pretty good.
That’s what happens in games like this. So if anybody did anything dirty, tell him to call me and I would be more than happy to address it.
If it was physical play? That’s the way that game is always gonna be.”
Izzo’s stance is clear: he’s not excusing everything, but he’s also not conceding that Fears crossed a line without context. Still, the pattern of incidents-paired with the mounting scrutiny-puts Fears under a brighter spotlight than most freshmen.
For Michigan State, the stakes are high. They’re in the thick of the Big Ten grind, and every possession matters.
Fears has shown flashes of the grit and edge that coaches love in a floor general. But there’s a fine line between competitive fire and costly decisions-and right now, Fears is toeing it.
How he responds from here could say a lot about his growth, not just as a player, but as a leader. Because in college basketball, talent gets you noticed-but discipline keeps you on the floor.