Michigan State basketball watched Jeremy Fears Jr. shatter school records including a Magic Johnson one. But the Spartans have seen his aggressive side, leading to dirty antics including a personal foul versus Michigan.
The flagrant occurred near the 14-minute mark of the first half out in Ann Arbor as seen below:
Officials are reviewing this play for a potential flagrant foul on Jeremy Fears Jr. pic.twitter.com/eS0HRVp14j
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 8, 2026
Fears, again, is a valuable contributor to Tom Izzo and the Spartans. He even hit Big Ten history by pulling off the rare 17-point, 17-assists game versus Maryland on Jan. 25.
But a knock on Fears is he tends to play a fast and aggressive style that leads to fouls. The sophomore committed four PFs in the previous game against Rutgers won by MSU.
Where Michigan State stands in NCAA Tournament race
MSU is in prime position to see its name called on Selection Sunday once March 15 arrives.
The Spartans hold a 90.1% chance to make an at-large bid according to the website Team Rankings. Even falling in the Big Ten Tournament doesn't damage MSU's hopes to break into the field of 68.
But what's at stake is a No. 1 seed. The Spartans own a current 25-5 record as of Sunday evening. Winning out and claiming the conference title will spark conversations about MSU landing a No. 1 seed for one of the regionals.
The Spartans are called to land one of the No. 2 seeds once the bracket is unveiled. CBS Sports bracketology plugs Michigan State to face No. 15 seed Portland State in the West regional.
What's certain is MSU is aiming for its first national title since the 1999-2000 season, also Izzo's last championship.
