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Analyst Seth Davis suggests Michigan State could benefit from increased scrutiny on Jeremy Fears

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp02/09/26

One of the biggest stories in the Big Ten — and really all of college basketball — in the last week or so has been the play of Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears. Cameras caught him making questionable contact with Minnesota players several times during a game last week.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was forced to address the issue and noted that he considered a possible suspension for the third-year guard. Ultimately, he opted not to bench Fears for the team’s ensuing game against Illinois this Saturday.

During that game, another potential incident surfaced. Jeremy Fears’ legs got tangled up with an Illinois player.

The play was reviewed for a potential tripping flagrant foul, but officials deemed the contact was incidental. The challenge from Illinois failed. Still, it brought to light a basic truth at this point: Fears is going to be heavily scrutinized going forward.

Izzo was angry about being asked about the Jeremy Fears incident after the game, shutting down the question entirely. And, in light of that, many began to opine on the entire situation.

Notably, Seth Davis of Hoops HQ chimed in. He believes the situation could actually work to Michigan State’s advantage going forward.

“I understand Izzo’s point, but the refs only looked at the play because Brad Underwood requested an appeal,” Davis wrote on Twitter. “The appeal was denied, and it cost the Illini a time out. So if people are going to single out Fears for this reason, it could work to Michigan State’s benefit.”

In any case, it’s clear that Jeremy Fears will be watched like a hawk by opposing teams — and perhaps officials as well. Can Michigan State use that and take advantage by getting teams to burn challenges and timeouts with reviews like the one Underwood called for on Saturday?

That remains to be seen. But the talented Michigan State guard, who is averaging a team-best 15.1 points per game, will certainly be under the microscope going forward.