Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was assessed a dead ball technical foul after making contact with the groin of Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau during the first half of Sunday’s heated Big Ten rivalry matchup.
With a little over five minutes into the game, Cadeau defended Fears near the sideline. While attempting to gather the ball, Fears appeared to lose his balance and kicked his right leg backward, with his foot striking Cadeau in the groin area. Officials immediately stopped play and assessed the technical foul after Cadeau reacted immediately.
The play unfolded directly in front of an official, prompting a quick whistle and a brief discussion before the ruling was confirmed. But not everyone was convinced the act was intentional.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo strongly objected to the call, arguing that the decision was influenced by Fears’ recent reputation rather than the specific action on the play.
“It’s all because of what happened earlier, and now the microscope’s on him,” Izzo told CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson during the broadcast. “And I don’t like that. But I told him, ‘I don’t even want him breathing wrong.'”
Check out the play in question below.
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore explained during the game that officials likely focused on the unusual motion of Fears’ leg while reviewing the sequence.
“We all see it. I think what they’re looking at is just the unnatural movement of Fears’ leg,” Steratore said. “That’s coming at a place that doesn’t really make sense based on the rest of that play, and naturally the area that he made contact with adds to that.”
More: Calls mount for TNT to fire Bruce Pearl before NCAA Tournament
The technical foul added to a season-long trend of controversial moments involving the Spartans’ guard. Earlier this year, Izzo publicly considered suspending Fears following multiple questionable plays in a February loss to Minnesota. A separate sequence against Illinois involving tangled legs was reviewed but ultimately ruled incidental.
However, Izzo has consistently defended Fears and his actions. The Michigan State guard appears likely to draw heightened attention moving forward.
More college basketball news:
- Darryn Peterson situation not alarming to NBA teams, ESPN insider says
- AJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA stars
- John Calipari says college athletics is broken – Here’s his plan to fix it
- Mike Krzyzewski fights against NCAA Tournament expansion
- Former NBA All-Star slams USC for dropping ‘best player’, five-star son next?