Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Jeremy Fears Jr. Selected to John R. Wooden Award® Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List
2/10/2026 6:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State men's basketball redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was one of 20 players selected to the Los Angeles Athletic Club's John R. Wooden Award® Men's Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List.
Selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award® All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
Fears, who was also one of 10 point guards selected to the Mid-Season Top-10 for the Bob Cousy Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has helped lead the Spartans to a 20-4 overall record, including a 10-3 record in the Big Ten Conference. MSU is currently ranked No. 10 in the country in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN Coaches poll.
Fears leads Michigan State in scoring (15.1) and assists (9.1), while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 89.9 percent from the free throw line. One of the team's four captains, Fears ranks first nationally in assists per game (9.1), total assists (219), No. 4 in assist/turnover ratio and is No. 23 nationally in free throw percentage. In addition, Fears has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season.
When Fears handed out 17 assists against Maryland on Jan. 24, it was the second-most in a single game in Michigan State history. He handed out 15 assists in an 85-82 overtime win over then-No. 5 Illinois on Saturday, the third-best single-game mark in MSU history and became the only player in program history to hand out at least 15 assists in two different game. His current total of 219 assists rank as the seventh-best single-season mark at Michigan State and he needs four more to pass Earvin Johnson (222 in 1977-78) for sixth place.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award® Men's Player of the Year. Players not selected for the late midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.
Wooden Award® voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament's early rounds, players' contributions to their teams, and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
About the John R. Wooden Award®
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball, recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women, and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient.
Selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award® All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
Fears, who was also one of 10 point guards selected to the Mid-Season Top-10 for the Bob Cousy Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has helped lead the Spartans to a 20-4 overall record, including a 10-3 record in the Big Ten Conference. MSU is currently ranked No. 10 in the country in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN Coaches poll.
Fears leads Michigan State in scoring (15.1) and assists (9.1), while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 89.9 percent from the free throw line. One of the team's four captains, Fears ranks first nationally in assists per game (9.1), total assists (219), No. 4 in assist/turnover ratio and is No. 23 nationally in free throw percentage. In addition, Fears has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season.
When Fears handed out 17 assists against Maryland on Jan. 24, it was the second-most in a single game in Michigan State history. He handed out 15 assists in an 85-82 overtime win over then-No. 5 Illinois on Saturday, the third-best single-game mark in MSU history and became the only player in program history to hand out at least 15 assists in two different game. His current total of 219 assists rank as the seventh-best single-season mark at Michigan State and he needs four more to pass Earvin Johnson (222 in 1977-78) for sixth place.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award® Men's Player of the Year. Players not selected for the late midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.
Wooden Award® voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament's early rounds, players' contributions to their teams, and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.
About the John R. Wooden Award®
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball, recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women, and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient.
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