Michigan State University Athletics
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Jeremy Fears Jr. Named Sporting News Third Team All-American
3/11/2026 11:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men's basketball redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was named a Third Team All-American by The Sporting News, announced on Wednesday morning.
The recognition from the Sporting News plays a factor for the official consensus NCAA team.
Fears earned All-Big Ten Conference First Team honors on Tuesday, with recognition from the league's coaches and the media.
One of the team's captains, Fears leads Michigan State in scoring with 15.3 points per game, No. 16 in the Big Ten Conference, and in assists, with 9.1 per game, which not only ranks first in the Big Ten but is No. 1 in the country. He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (89.0%) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.13).
He is the only player in the country averaging at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists per game.
In Big Ten-only games, Fears finished 11th in the league in scoring with 17.6 ppg, while leading the league with 8.8 apg in 20 games. His 8.8 average during in-conference ties the league record set by Purdue's Braden Smith last year.
Nationally, Fears leads the country in assists per game (9.1), total assists (281), is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.13) and ranks No. 29 in free throw percentage (89.0%).
His current total of 281 assists is the second-best single-season mark in Michigan State history and he needs just 11 more to pass Cassius Winston's school record of 291, set in 2018-19.
Fears becomes Michigan State's first All-American selection since Cassius Winston was a Consensus Second Team All-American in 2020. He is the 26th player in program history to earn an All-American honor and the 10th player to be named an All-American under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
Michigan State's men's basketball team earned the No. 3 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament and will begin play on Friday, March 13 at United Center in Chicago. The Spartans will play the second game of Friday's evening session (approximately 9 p.m. ET) against the winner of a game between No. 6 UCLA and either Rutgers or Minnesota.
The recognition from the Sporting News plays a factor for the official consensus NCAA team.
Fears earned All-Big Ten Conference First Team honors on Tuesday, with recognition from the league's coaches and the media.
One of the team's captains, Fears leads Michigan State in scoring with 15.3 points per game, No. 16 in the Big Ten Conference, and in assists, with 9.1 per game, which not only ranks first in the Big Ten but is No. 1 in the country. He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (89.0%) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.13).
He is the only player in the country averaging at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists per game.
In Big Ten-only games, Fears finished 11th in the league in scoring with 17.6 ppg, while leading the league with 8.8 apg in 20 games. His 8.8 average during in-conference ties the league record set by Purdue's Braden Smith last year.
Nationally, Fears leads the country in assists per game (9.1), total assists (281), is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.13) and ranks No. 29 in free throw percentage (89.0%).
His current total of 281 assists is the second-best single-season mark in Michigan State history and he needs just 11 more to pass Cassius Winston's school record of 291, set in 2018-19.
Fears becomes Michigan State's first All-American selection since Cassius Winston was a Consensus Second Team All-American in 2020. He is the 26th player in program history to earn an All-American honor and the 10th player to be named an All-American under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
Michigan State's men's basketball team earned the No. 3 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament and will begin play on Friday, March 13 at United Center in Chicago. The Spartans will play the second game of Friday's evening session (approximately 9 p.m. ET) against the winner of a game between No. 6 UCLA and either Rutgers or Minnesota.
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