Jeremy Fears Jr. made history, but didn’t make any new friends in Big Ten country on Saturday. The Michigan State point guard etched himself into Spartan history with a 26-point, 15-assist performance to help No. 10 MSU outlast No. 5 Illinois 85-82 in an overtime thriller.
For a program that features legendary point guards like Magic and Cleaves and Cassius and Valentine, it’s Fears who will stand alone as the first Michigan State player ever to win multiple 15-dime games.
He’s been doing it for the past two weeks.
The same fortnight that has seen Fears transformed into a legitimate All-American candidate and one of college basketball’s biggest villains after countless acts that straddle the line between reckless, dark, and downright nasty.
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Fears tried to trip Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg on Jan. 30 in a move that Wolverines coach Dusty May called intentional. He kicked Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin in the 76-73 loss of Michigan State in a move that earned him a technical, a tongue-lashing from Tom Izzo and a warning that he might not even start against Illinois.
But on matchday, Fears was back in the starting five and embroiled in a new controversy. Fears drew 14 fouls, but it was a play that didn’t draw a whistle and sent the Illinois bench into turmoil. The scare appeared to trip Illini big man David Mirkovic during an open-floor runout, but upon review it was not upgraded to a flagrant foul.
“There was nothing on the trip, they looked at it,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said at the post-game news conference. “It’s always going to be a judgmental thing. He stops. That’s what he does. But yeah, he was great. We didn’t square him very well. He plays with great speed and pace. I was disappointed that we fouled him so much. He’s not a very good shooter and we wanted him to have to put the ball in, even if it was a layup. He’s crafty, he’s smart and he did a good job tonight.”
This saga seems far from over, but one thing is clear: Fears’ debt to his team has been repaid.
His actions against Minnesota objectively cost his team the game, but the Spartans don’t beat the big, bad Illini without him.
“To be honest, it was kind of tough,” Fears told Fox in an on-field interview after the game. “That’s not my character. That’s not who I am. I want to be able to help my team. The last few games I haven’t been able to help my team. I wanted to help my team win today, no matter what.”
Fears scored 22 of his 26 after halftime, including a remarkable 11 points in overtime. Illinois fought brilliantly until the very last second in the Breslin Center, showing it has what it takes to be heard in the hunt for a Big Ten Championship and a Final Four, but it couldn’t defend itself without making mistakes in the final moments. For Fears, fouling is something of an art, even if it drives the opponent into panic (or another drink from the bottle).
Fears told CBS Sports at Big Ten Media Days that he is studying the rules of the game intently, trying to understand and/or uncover all the tricks of the trade that will get him to the free throw line. He shot 13 more free throws in Saturday’s win, bringing his season total to a whopping 148. It’s the fifth time this season that Fears has double-digit attempts from the charity stripe, and no Big Ten player commits more fouls per 40 minutes than Fears (7.2), according to KenPom.com
“This team has confidence in each other; we played poorly, we had controversy and distractions,” Izzo said. “The best way to stay ahead is to avoid dirtbags and distractions.”
Let the bobbing and weaving begin even more, because the microscope on Fears isn’t going away.
Somewhere, in another life, Fears reached the free throw line again.
Cash.
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