ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May discussed the controversial plays by Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. during their 83-71 victory inside the Breslin Center.
In the game that was played on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, the Wolverines got their first victory in East Lansing since the 2018 season, but it didn’t come easy as the Spartans stormed back from an 18-point deficit to take a two-point lead in the second half.
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But all of that was overshadowed by the play of Fears Jr., who finished the game with 31 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in the matchup, as he was seen for 40 minutes doing some outlandish things on the basketball court.
The plays were so outlandish that a highlight reel was shared on social media, showing Fears Jr. engaging in questionable activity.
For instance, there was a moment in the game where Fears appeared to trip Yaxel Lendeborg.
When asked if it appeared to be a “trip” or was an illusion or an actual trip, May responded, “Appeared? It wasn’t an illusion, right?”
The game was heavily televised, as the combined Associated Press ranking of the then-No. 3 Wolverines and No. 7 Spartans was the highest in the rivalry’s history.
Prior to Friday’s game, the previous best was 12, set in the men in maize’s 2013 matchup, when the men in maize were ranked No. 4 and MSU No. 8.
Coming into the game, MSU was on a four-game winning streak and had won seven of the last 10, so all eyes were on, including NBA scouts in attendance, who could see questionable plays.
There was a play where Fears Jr. flopped during a contested pass by L.J. Cason.
While on the floor, behind the three-point line, Fears could be seen grabbing the leg of Cason, causing him to fall to the floor.
There was another play where Fears Jr. was pushing the ball up the floor during a fast break with Wolverines big man Aday Mara in the trailer position.
During the play, instead of dribbling, Fears Jr. abruptly stopped his dribble right in front of him, causing Mara to fall over him and leading to a foul.
A few moments later, the cameras caught Fears Jr. yelling at Mara, saying, “You’re a B!@#%.”
Fears later sent Lendeborg to the line following a flagrant foul during a fastbreak, where he didn’t even go for the ball. Fears Jr. just swiped him out of the air.
One of the flops cost MSU three points as Fears Jr. tried to draw a foul on Morez Johnson Jr., who set a screen-play for guard Elliot Cadeau, who was left wide open for the uncontested three-pointer.
Another play saw Fears Jr. get blocked by Lendeborg, who then leaked out for a fast-break dunk.
Trailing behind was Fears Jr., who chose not to draw another flagrant foul, since he already had one in the game, allowing him to score on the play.
Fears Jr. also pulled Lendeborg to the ground during a block attempt, leading to an and-one for MSU.
And at the end of the game, when Cadeau grabbed the rebound and fell to the floor amongst the clutter, calling for a timeout, Fears Jr. ran over after the play and started yanking at the ball, trying to pull it out of the hands of Cadeau, before a referee rushed over, leading to Fears Jr. putting his hand in the air like he didnt do anything.
When asked if the play of Fears Jr. went beyond basketball and if the Big 10 should address it, May said, “I think there were several plays that were extremely dangerous, and I am proud of our guys for the responses they had in those situations.”
He continued: “I am extremely proud of their self-control, their restraint, and their impulse control, and I’ll leave it at that.”
May noted, “But they’re not isolated incidents.”
When pressed further about the film evidence and whether he had reached out to Michigan State’s staff, Dusty said, “I have not reached out to their staff. No.”
May continued: “The films there, 40 minutes of it. It’s not hard to find.”