Jeremy Fears Jr. ‘not afraid of the moment’ as Michigan State basketball faces Kentucky

EAST LANSING — Despite all the things Jeremy Fears Jr. missed in a shortened first freshman season, getting the taste of playing in big-time nonconference games with Michigan State basketball was one experience he did receive.

So when he faces Kentucky on Tuesday, Nov. 18, the point guard will complete his three-foe Champions Classic cycle. The next step for Fears, though, is winning one of the marquee matchups. At Madison Square Garden, no less.

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“Most people couldn’t do what he’s done. And I don’t have time to give him credit for it, either,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said after practice Sunday. “But every once in a while, I say, ‘You feel better going in there now, don’t you?’ And even he doesn’t realize it, and that’s normal.

“I know this – he’s not afraid of the moment. He’s my one guy that is not.”

Michigan State’s coach Tom Izzo, right, talks with Jeremy Fears Jr. during the first half against Colgate on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

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The No. 18 Spartans (3-0) face the No. 13 Wildcats (3-1) Tuesday (6:30 p.m., ESPN) in the first of two games at the Champions Classic, followed by No. 4 Duke vs. No. 23 Kansas (ESPN).

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It will be the third time Fears, a redshirt sophomore, will play in the event.

“I spent this summer in New York, so I was able to go to a game (at MSG) when the Knicks played the Pacers. It was a pretty cool environment,” Fears said Sunday. “But I’m ready to go out there, ready to go compete, ready to go play another big-time game and find out more about our team.”

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound captain played just seven minutes and finished with two points, one assist and two turnovers in the Spartans’ 74-65 loss to the Blue Devils in 2023 at United Center in Chicago. The native of Joliet, Illinois, played in MSU’s first 10 games but was shot in the leg in his hometown on Dec. 23…

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Publish date : 2025-11-18 10:03:00

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