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Tensions were high between two rivals on Sunday as the Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team edged the Michigan State Spartans 90-80.
Spartans star Jeremy Fears Jr. drew attention in the first half of the game when he kicked opponent Elliot Cadeau’s groin. He was called for a technical foul when the video review showed that he swung his right leg backward in Cadeau.
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Michigan St guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) puts up a shot between Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr, left, and Michigan center Aday Mara during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)
Cadeau immediately went to his bench and asked head coach Dusty May to call for a replay review.
“I got knocked down, I probably should have just been knocked down,” Fears said after the game. “It’s an unfortunate situation.”
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said he did not believe Fears kicked Cadeau on purpose, but added that he “chewed him out of it” during the game.
“No one is harder on him than me,” he said. “No one will be harder on him than me.”
Izzo said during an in-game interview with CBS that Fears is under a microscope because of what was said after the previous game.
Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the second half of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena on January 2, 2026 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
He elaborated more after the match.
“I’m tired of it being one-sided,” he said. “That’s what bothered me the first time. Fear will get his lunch from me. I wonder if some of their guys will get their lunch from what happened in the first game that didn’t go public.”
Fears, in a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, swung his leg back to hit Langston Reynolds in the groin area and was called for a foul. He got a technical error on a review.
He came under scrutiny again against the Illinois Fighting Illini when coach Brad Underwood asked officials to look into whether Fears intentionally tripped David Mirkovic after stopping in front of him. Underwood did not win the appeal.
Fears has had a breakout season in his third year with the Spartans. He is averaging 15.1 points per game. game and leads the nation with an average of 9.1 assists per game. match.
Michigan State finished the regular season with a 25-6 record and a 15-5 record in the Big Ten Conference.
Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) reacts to a personal foul call against him in the second half against Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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With the win, Michigan solidified its Big Ten regular season title. The Wolverines are 29-2 this season and 19-1 in the conference.
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