College basketball rankings: Michigan State falls as maturity struggles continue for Jeremy Fears Jr.
Jeremy Fears' actions recently have led to Tom Izzo contemplating benching the struggling Spartans star
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
In his first game since being publicly questioned over weird/non-basketball things his legs were doing against Michigan last week, Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. did more weird/non-basketball things with his legs against Minnesota on Wednesday that this time even drew the ire of coach Tom Izzo.
"I don't even know if I'm gonna start him next game," Izzo said after Michigan State's 76-73 loss to the Gophers in Minneapolis. "Jeremy's gotta grow up a little bit."
That certainly appears true.
Do you remember when Grayson Allen went through something similar at Duke during the 2015-16 season? It became a major story in the sport, one that actually led to Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski stripping Allen of his captaincy.
Ten years later, here we are with Fears.
The controversy, if we're calling it that, escalated when Michigan coach Dusty May publicly brought attention to Fears tripping Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg during Friday's game that the Wolverines won 83-71 inside the Breslin Center. That set the stage for the Spartans' game at Minnesota.
Then, Fears did this:
Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. was given a technical foul on this play. pic.twitter.com/q03PMlmOzl
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 5, 2026
Yikes.
I'd be lying if I told you I know exactly what's going on with Fears -- but I remember some suggesting with Allen a decade ago that the incidents typically happened when he was behind and frustrated. For whatever it's worth, when Fears kicked Langston Reynolds and got his technical during Wednesday's game, the Spartans were down 45-40 and Fears was on his way to a 4-of-11 shooting performance.
Michigan State is down to No. 13 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 26th consecutive day. Next up for the Spartans is Saturday's showdown with Illinois. Whether Fears will start, according to Izzo, is to be determined.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
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Alabama
4
Gonzaga
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 87-74 win at Arizona State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 22-0 |
| 2 |  | Silas Demary Jr. finished with 17 points and eight assists in Tuesday's 92-60 win over Xavier. The Huskies' next game is Friday at St. John's. | -- | 22-1 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 67-49 win over Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at North Carolina. | -- | 21-1 |
| 4 | | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 83-71 win at Michigan State. The Wolverines' next game is Thursday against Penn State. | -- | 20-1 |
| 5 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 95-61 win at Kansas State. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | 1 | 20-2 |
| 6 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 84-44 win over Northwestern. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | 1 | 20-3 |
| 7 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 18 points and six assists in Wednesday's 79-55 win over UCF. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at BYU. | 1 | 20-2 |
| 8 |  | Rienk Mast missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Sunday's 78-69 loss to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | 1 | 20-2 |
| 9 |  | Emmanuel Innocenti missed all five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 87-80 loss at Portland. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Oregon State. | 4 | 22-2 |
| 10 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 19 points and two steals in Monday's 64-61 win at Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Utah. | 1 | 17-5 |
| 11 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 24 points and three assists in Saturday's 71-68 win over Ole Miss. The Commodores' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | 1 | 19-3 |
| 12 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 29 points and three assists in Sunday's 93-63 win at Maryland. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Oregon. | 1 | 18-4 |
| 13 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 76-73 loss at Minnesota. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | 3 | 19-4 |
| 14 |  | Alex Condon finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 100-77 win over Alabama. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 16-6 |
| 15 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 67-47 win over Pitt. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Syracuse. | -- | 19-3 |
| 16 |  | Donovan Atwell missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 64-61 loss to Kansas. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday at West Virginia. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 17 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. missed 12 of the 20 shots he attempted in Saturday's 85-77 loss to Kentucky. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Mississippi State. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 18 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 66-64 win at Stanford. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Cal. | 1 | 19-4 |
| 19 |  | Khadim Mboup missed four of the five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 99-92 loss at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Houston. | 3 | 17-5 |
| 20 |  | Trey Green finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Friday's 102-71 win over Dayton. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Davidson. | -- | 22-1 |
| 21 |  | Khani Rooths finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 76-65 win over Notre Dame. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | -- | 16-6 |
| 22 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 68-56 win at DePaul. The Red Storm's next game is Friday against UConn. | -- | 17-5 |
| 23 |  | Luke Skaljac finished with 19 points and five steals in Tuesday's 73-71 win at Buffalo. The RedHawks' next game is Saturday at Marshall. | -- | 23-0 |
| 24 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 87-77 win over Syracuse. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Duke. | 1 | 18-4 |
| 25 |  | Nate Ament finished with 28 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 84-66 win over Ole Miss. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 26 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 20 points and six assists in Wednesday's 100-97 win over Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Auburn. | NR | 15-7 |
