In many respects, this is a breakout season for Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears—he’s doubled his scoring average from a year prior (7.2 to 14.9) and ranks fourth in all of Division I in win shares.
However, Fears’s profile has grown for less savory reasons as well. After the Spartans’ loss to Michigan Friday, Wolverines coach Dusty May called the guard’s play “dangerous” after he appeared to trip Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (Izzo downplayed the sequence afterward). On Wednesday, Fears received a technical foul for kicking Minnesota guard Langston Reynolds in the groin.
Izzo addressed Fears’ actions after No. 10 Michigan State’s 76–73 upset loss, insinuating that he may leave the Chicago native on the bench to start the Spartans’ game against red-hot Illinois Saturday.
“Jeremy's gotta grow up a little bit,” Izzo said via Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.
Izzo sat Fears in the aftermath of the technical foul, but he still filled up the stat sheet with 10 points and 11 assists in a team-high 32 minutes of action.
Michigan State is currently 9-3 in BIg Ten play—fourth in the league and a game and a half back of first-place Michigan. With their loss to the Golden Gophers, the Spartans are riding their first losing streak in a little under a calendar year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Izzo Speaks Out After Jeremy Fears Kicks Minnesota Player in Groin.
