MSU controlled Indiana on defense all night and went on a 19-0 run late to seal an 81-60 victory led by Fears.

Fears scored a career high 23 points on a 10-assist double-double. In the first half alone, he put up 19 points, scoring the first 10 Spartan points of the game. Even in MSU’s 21-point victory, the stats don't say it all for MSU’s point guard. 

Fears, always the first outlet in transition, consistently found open teammates, even in the smallest of windows. It’s his ball movement — more than his scoring — that has made him a critical contributor to Michigan State’s success, even as he averages more than 12 points per game.

Head Coach Tom Izzo said Fears is the life of this team, and when he is at his best, everyone is.

“All in all, I thought that was one of Jeremy's best games,” Izzo said. “He defended pretty well. He pushed the ball exceptionally well. He shot the ball pretty well. As I said all along, when the head is good, the body's good; when the head dies, the body dies, and he is our head. The better he plays, I think the better we play.”

Fears said he couldn’t ask for anything more, adding that he tries to stay confident and keep pushing, trusting that good things will eventually happen.

After suffering a season-ending gunshot injury in 2023, Fears played his first full season in East Lansing last year. With Jaden Aikins and Jase Richardson no longer in the lineup, Fears was bound to see more minutes. He averaged 7.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds last season; this year, he’s putting up 12 points, 8.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds.

The numbers don’t jump off the page, especially compared with the Big Ten’s top scorers, who average more than 20 points per game. Still, Fears knows how to win. After MSU topped Northwestern last week, he said he’s 'always looking for the best way to win, sometimes that isn’t me.

The redshirt sophomore has taken this team into his own hands and has become the central leader of MSU, especially on defense. Per CBBAnalytics, MSU holds teams to 14 fewer points per 100 possessions when Fears is on the court compared to off; additionally, the team has a much higher pace, allowing for easy transition baskets. 

After the game, Fears chuckled when asked if he thinks he can be one of the best Spartan point guards under Izzo. He took a moment to answer, saying he just wants to do what’s best for the team. 

“I just try to win games, whatever I need to do to help the team win, I'm willing to do, and that's the only thing that matters,” Fears said. 

Tuesday night, Fears had his third double-double of the season and continues to rank second in the country in assists per game. 

In the first 14 minutes of the game, Fears netted 17 points with an assist, playing a part in 20 of MSU’s 21 points at the time. When the team as a whole had slow stretches, they counted on him to elevate his own play. 

To this point in the season, Fear’s calling card has been his drive and kick to the corner for an open three. Tonight, he capitalized on that scouting report and scored with authority without unnecessary passes. 

Third-year teammate of Fears, Jaxon Kohler, who scored 16 points with 10 rebounds for his tenth double-double of the year, said it was amazing watching Fears dominate.

“There's so much I want to say, because he's so good, man,” Kohler said. “He was so good tonight, just from the start, he attacked.”

Kohler did a lot for MSU when Fears couldn’t against the Hoosiers. The senior forward is the central piece of MSU’s rebounding attack with a killer three-point shot to match. The two’s relationship has grown a lot over the years, and Kohler said he’s thankful for Fears' leadership throughout.

“We've come such a long way, honestly,” Kohler said. “He’s been so amazing about being the leader of this team. One area of growth that he has that's been amazing is not being too consumed by his own stats. He's been really good at trying to find people in the right spots and equalizing everybody's scoring opportunities.”

After this season, Fears still has two years of eligibility, and with a top-five recruiting class on the way, the team is poised to grow. This year, MSU has the pieces, the skill, and the right coach to make another deep March run—and as the Spartans move toward the end of the season, there’s no doubt Jeremy Fears will be at the center of it all.