EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jeremy Fears Jr. delivered one of the most impressive performances of his college career on Saturday. As Michigan State’s “floor general,” he tallied 17 points and an eye-popping 17 assists in the Spartans’ 81-46 victory over Maryland. This performance ties for the second-highest assist total in program history, only behind a 20-assist game by legendary player Mateen Cleaves against Michigan in March 2000. Fears also made history as the first player in Big Ten history to record a 17-point, 17-assist game.

Fears is quickly establishing himself as one of the top players in the country. According to popular analytics site KenPom, he currently ranks ninth in its Player of the Year rankings. His recent performance has been nothing short of remarkable. Across the last eight games, he’s averaging 17.2 points and 8.4 assists per game, a significant improvement from his scoring output last season. Only Purdue’s Braden Smith averages more assists than Fears this season.

What makes Fears’ performance even more impressive is that he didn’t play the entire game due to the lopsided nature of the contest. He logged just 25 minutes against Maryland, despite averaging 30.7 minutes per game this season. If the game had been closer, it’s possible Fears could have reached the 20-assist mark. At the rate he was dishing out assists, he would have been on pace to tie Cleaves’ record with just four or five more minutes of play, which would have brought him to his average playing time for the season.

After the game, head coach Tom Izzo acknowledged that he might have kept Fears on the court longer if the game had been closer. However, he emphasized that sportsmanship plays a role in such decisions. Izzo explained that chasing additional assists could appear like stat-padding, and running up the score against a struggling team isn’t something he wants to do.

During the time Fears was on the court, Michigan State outscored Maryland by a staggering 43 points. Given that was the final margin of victory, it means the Spartans were completely even during the 15 minutes he sat on the bench. Fears seemed to be operating at another level on Saturday, recording his 10th career game with at least 10 assists. This performance shattered his previous career high of 13 assists, and he also secured his sixth career double-double.

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