In MSU’s home loss to Michigan last week, video circulated online of Fears tripping UM’s Yaxel Lendeborg. In Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota, Fears kicked his leg back, hitting Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin, earning Fears a technical foul. 

After the game, Minnesota head coach Niko Medved told reporters that Fears is a great player but needs to get a hold of his emotions at times. 

“He's a competitor, that's who he is. He gets a little carried away,” Medved said. “There's a time you can't do what he did, and I guarantee you he knows that, but he's a great player.”

All season, Fears has made a brand for himself by overselling contact, hoping for fouls on both sides of the ball. Fears has a free-throw rate of 61, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. Fears’ game is simple; he passes the ball, gets to the basket, and gets fouled. 

That strategy worked well for him through the first half of the season, but it has given the redshirt sophomore problems over the past week as teams adjust to his style. Against Minnesota, Fears amplified his hunt for fouls with excessive contact and a delay of game penalty late in MSU’s comeback effort. 

Today, Izzo said Fears needs to find a better way to control his emotions in games.

“You can create your own philosophy on whether it's right, wrong, or indifferent, but I promise you this is not nearly what it was made out to be in the first place,” Izzo said. “Does he have to learn how to compete without competing that aggressively? Yeah.”

Fears has garnered comparisons to former Spartan Draymond Green with his physical play on the court. Izzo had a productive “come-to-Jesus” meeting with Fears on Thursday, saying he knows Fears doesn’t aim to hurt anyone with his play. 

“I think some of that was blown out of proportion. I did not like the backward kick,” Izzo said. “I think for the time I was with him, he understands what's going on.”

Fears is tied for the national lead in assists at 8.9 per game and is averaging 17.4 points in conference play. He has recorded four career highs in scoring this season, most recently a 31-point performance against Michigan. Fears has emerged as the clear leader of this year’s MSU team, which has Final Four potential with him on the court. Coach Tom Izzo said Fears “would not be here” if he were trying to hurt people on the court.

“Does he have to grow up? 100%. Did he have to grow up last year? 100%,” Izzo said. “But if I look at what he's done, how far he's come and what he's been through, there's a lot worse that I've been through than that.”

MSU will face a unique challenge in Illinois after back-to-back losses. Illinois boasts the nation’s top offense, scoring 130 points per 100 possessions. The Fighting Illini average more than 80 points per game and also control the boards at a higher rate than MSU, one of eight Power Four schools that out-rebound the Spartans.

As the tallest team in the country, Illinois lists six players at 6-foot-9 or taller, while every player in its rotation is at least 6-foot-6. MSU has just two players who match Illinois’ size and skill in the paint — Jaxon Kohler (6-foot-10) and Carson Cooper (6-foot-11).

MSU and Illinois will tip off at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday at Breslin Center. The game will be broadcast on Fox with Jason Bennett and Steve Smith on the call.

“I think Illinois is the best team in the league,” Izzo said. "I mean, there's no doubt Michigan, Nebraska, I still think Purdue are all very, very good teams, but Illinois brings something completely different to the table."