Fears Jr. Leads MSU in NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 21st, Michigan State Guard Jeremy Fears Jr. has been one of the top playmakers in college basketball this season. The six-foot two-point guard ranked second nationally in assists per game at 9.2, while averaging 15.7 points, 2.4, rebounds, and 1.3 steals. His skills have helped the Spartans earn a spot in the NCAA tournament as a potential deep-run team. He's also a strong scorer at all three levels and is a finalist for the Wooden Award, putting him in the conversation for Big Ten player of the year. In the Spartans' first round win over North Dakota State on Thursday, Fears posted seven points and 11 assists, though it was his seventh, single-digit scoring game this year. Some critics label him a dirty player after incidents like kicking an opponent in the groin during a lost Minnesota and drawing complaints from Michigan's coach for risky plays. Fears defends his style, saying he plays every possession at full intensity because basketball was once taken from him for a year, fueling his drive, without intent to harm.

1:05Off the court, the 20-year-old shares a family tie to the pros. His brother Jeremiah was drafted seventh overall by the New Orleans Pelicans last year after one college season at Oklahoma. The Spartans now face sixth seed Louisville in the East region's second round at 2.45 p.m. Eastern, on Saturday in Buffalo, New York, where Fears will aim to boost his scoring alongside his elite passing.