For better and worse, everyone is a pattern of their own behavior. And for Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears, he’s developed quite the reputation for the wrong reasons — making dirty plays that have the potential to injure opponents.
During Michigan State’s matchup against Michigan on Sunday, Fears kicked Michigan’s Eliot Cadeau in the groin.
Despite this being
a clear technical foul, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo complained about the call.
“You know what, it’s all because of what happened earlier, and now every microscope’s on him. And I don’t like that, okay. I told him I don’t want him breathing wrong,” Izzo said.
Izzo mentioning “what happened earlier” refers to how Michigan head coach Dusty May said Fears made several dangerous plays in a matchup earlier this season, including tripping Yaxel Lendeborg.
This isn’t the first time Fears has been in hot water for a groin kick against Minnesota.
Fears ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in assists per game (9.1), but if there were a metric for groin kicks and tripping, he’d likely lead those categories as well — these aren’t isolated incidents. Tom Izzo is not doing Fears any favors by defending this type of behavior.
The latest antics from Izzo and Fears represent the unnecessary and annoying things that continue to transpire in the Michigan and Michigan State rivalry in both basketball and football. The instigators are usually wearing green and white.
