MSU's Fears Primed for Huge Season After B1G Preseason POTY Honor

Fears is considered the best player in the Big Ten, and perhaps the country, entering the season.

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., right, slaps hands with Jesse McCulloch during the first basketball practice of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan State might have the best player in the country this year.

At the very least, it has the player who is considered to be the best in the Big Ten in the preseason. On Monday, the conference officially named MSU point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. He was also one of just two unanimous selections to the conference's preseason all-conference team, joined by Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort.

Fears' Path to Big Ten POTY

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. hunches over during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Fears had a bit of a shot at the real Big Ten Player of the Year award last season, too. He got first-team all-conference honors after averaging 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 assists last season. If the conference's Player of the Year award was based on which player was the most valuable to his team, Fears would have had a rightful claim to it last season. It goes to the best player, though, and Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg wound up winning it, as he should have.

Lendeborg plays for the Golden State Warriors now, though. He was the main competition last year. This year, the most likely competition is Sandfort at Nebraska and David Mirkovic at Illinois. Sandfort averaged 18.1 points per game with the Cornhuskers as an elite shooter, and Mirkovic is an elite point forward for the Fighting Illini who averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds as a freshman.

Expectations for Fears

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. drives to the basket against North Dakota State during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Another season just like last year could very well be enough to get Fears the Big Ten Player of the Year Award. If he makes yet another jump, though, there is a serious chance that he could run away with it. Nobody in the conference will be able to keep up with Fears' passing, and head coach Tom Izzo thinks Fears' three-point shot has gotten better this offseason.

That outside shot, which has only gone in 32% of the time in Fears' career, is the reason why Fears isn't preparing for his first NBA season right now. If that shot can get into the upper-30s this season, it could really make Fears an elite-level scorer and passer.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. jogs out to the court after being introduced as a starter against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

If anything, the biggest thing that could keep Fears away from the Big Ten Player of the Year award is the additional help he has in the backcourt now. Fears averaged 32.4 minutes per game last year, including 35.2 minutes per game after Divine Ugochukwu was ruled out for the year with a foot injury.

Izzo may want to lighten Fears' load a little bit. Carlos Medlock Jr. and Jasiah Jervis provide some much-needed backcourt help and are the type of secondary creators the Spartans didn't have last year. Jordan Scott also feels like a breakout candidate at shooting guard, and Kur Teng will also command minutes at the two.