In several bizarre moments during their upset loss to Minnesota, Michigan State star Jeremy Fears looked more like wrestling legend Ric Flair than a basketball player after some really dirty moves against opposing players.
The Spartans are a top 10 team in our recent men’s college basketball rankings and have the potential of going far in next month’s NCAA tournament. A major reason why is the play of top star Jeremy Fears Jr. The sophomore guard leads the team in scoring (14.7 points per game), steals (1.3), and assists (8.9). He has emerged as one of the best guards in the nation this season.
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However, on Wednesday night, he further damaged his reputation with a wild tirade of dirty play against Minnesota. Yesterday was a frustrating evening for the 19-4 team as they struggled against their conference rivals and were even down by as much as 16 in the fourth quarter.
During a moment early in the game when Fears Jr. was on the receiving end of some physical defense by Gophers guard Langston Reynolds, the Michigan State guard lost his cool and actually kicked his leg back in away that looked very much like a classic low blow technique used by WWE and WCW icon Ric Flair. The moment can be viewed above.
Yet, that wasn’t the only dirty move Fears Jr. made against Reynolds. A separate video that’s gone viral on X shows the Michigan State guard throwing an elbow at his foe’s throat, and he also tried to trip him after being knocked down to the floor.
The moments during their clash with Minnesota were the latest instances of questionable play by Fears Jr., and he has been accused of dirty antics in other games this season. What the guard did on Wednesday did not go unnoticed by his coach, and he could end up being benched for their next game on Saturday.
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“Jeremy’s gotta grow up a little bit,” coach Tom Izzo said last night after the team’s upset loss. Michigan State has a huge matchup against Illinois on Saturday.
