EAST LANSING – Jeremy Fears Jr. will start as usual for No. 10 Michigan State basketball in its big showdown with No. 6 Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 7.
In the days leading up to the game, coach Tom Izzo said he was contemplating not starting the third-year sophomore point guard after his technical foul for kicking Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the second half of the Spartans’ 76-73 road loss Wednesday.
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Izzo declined to announce his starting lineup on the radio before the game, but Fears was announced as a starter minutes before tipoff.
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The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Fears leads MSU with 14.7 points and ranks second in the nation at 9.3 assists. His 30.8 minutes a game also are a team high. He had 10 points and 11 assists against the Gophers after winning back-to-back Big Ten player of the week honors, scoring 29 points in a comeback overtime win at Rutgers on Jan. 27 and topped his career high with 31 points in a home loss to No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 30.
After MSU’s 83-71 loss to the Wolverines, U-M coach Dusty May accused Fears of “dangerous” plays in that game, such as trips and elbows. In addition to the groin shot vs. Minnesota, there were more clips of Fears appearing to trip and elbow Gopher players, leading to a second-half benching.
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Fears has started every game for the last two year for the Spartans outside
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jeremy Fears Jr. starting for Michigan State basketball vs Illinois
