Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears’ reputation is taking a big hit. One of the nation’s leading distributors is becoming known for cheap shots.
That blemish fully emerged as a storyline coming out of the Spartans’ 83-71 loss to Michigan last weekend, with Wolverines coach Dusty May calling it out. And it carried over to the Gophers’ 76-73 upset of No. 10 Michigan State on Wednesday night at the Barn.
On a handful of occasions, Fears contacted Minnesota guard Langston Reynolds by either kicking or hitting him.
“He’s taken a lot of heat and all that; he’s a great player,” coach Niko Medved said postgame. “… I know he’s a great kid. He’s a competitor; that is who he is. Yeah, he gets a little carried away, and we saw that on film.”
Minnesota’s awareness of what Fears had done in the Wolverines loss led the Gophers to pounce when they saw something similar Wednesday at Williams Arena.
With 13 minutes left in the game, Reynolds was whistled for a personal foul, but Medved challenged it. Reviews showed Fears kicked Reynolds between the legs, and Fears was assessed a Class A technical foul for unsportsmanlike behavior.
That was only one of a handful of actions, but that specific play was pivotal in the game. With the Gophers holding a 45-40 lead, Cade Tyson went to the free-throw line and extended it to 47-40.
“Are they baiting him? Well, of course, when (May goes) public with something, you should get baited,” Spartans coach Tim Izzo said postgame. “It’s (Fears’) fault. I make no bones about it. I sat him for a while and I don’t know if I’m going to start him next game.”
Fostering belief
Medved was soaking wet when he came to the postgame news conference after players doused him with water in the locker room at The Barn on Wednesday. Carrying a white towel to dry off, he was thankful it wasn’t Powerade.
The Gophers’ first win over a Top 10 ranked team since 2021 was more joyful given the U’s difficult seven-game losing streak. That stretch included two overtime losses and two more on shots in the final seconds.
With the win over the Spartans, Minnesota improved to 11-12 and 4-8 in Big Ten play, but Medved has now tallied three wins over ranked teams, including No. 22 Indiana on Dec. 3 and No. 19 Iowa on Jan. 6.
“I hope for us this year we are creating belief with (the players) and we are creating belief in our program that we are on the right track,” Medved said. “We are doing the right thing. Our culture is good and this is the way.”
Hard on himself
Medved said he was critical of how Jaylen Crocker-Johnson played in a 77-75 loss to Penn State on Sunday. After watching film, Medved acknowledged Monday he might have been too hard on his junior forward/center.
But Crocker-Johnson wasn’t letting up on himself, saying he was “awful” against the Nittany Lions, who were 0-10 in the Big Ten before beating Minnesota. He responded Wednesday with a game-high 22 points along with seven rebounds in 34 minutes against Michigan State.
“(If) you want to be a great player, you don’t blame, you don’t pout, you accept coaching. You want people to tell you the truth and you just respond and get better,” Medved said. “All the great ones I’ve ever been around, that is what they do, and he is no different.”
Briefly
On Wednesday, the Gophers were the only Division I team in the last 30 seasons to record zero bench points, get out-rebounded by double digits (39-23) and allow 50-plus (52) points in a half and still win, according to Opta Stats. Previous teams to check all three of those boxes were 0-25 and lost by an average of 21.7 points. … The Gophers host Maryland (8-13, 1-9) at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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