It's been about 24 hours and we've all had time to decompress and really shake off the hot takes after Michigan State lost a heartbreaker to UConn in the Sweet 16.
This was the second straight Sweet 16 for the Spartans and they were trying to reach their second straight Elite Eight for the first time in over a decade. Unfortunately, they suffered a tough loss at the hands of UConn for a second time in 12 years, ending their NCAA Tournament run a week early. To make matters even worse, the Spartans probably beat UConn if Jeremy Fears Jr. has even an average game.
Unfortunately, Fears didn't play how he's been playing all year, having his worst game at the worst possible time. For a third straight game, Fears had four-plus turnovers and he shot under 35 percent (also for a third straight game). He was 5-for-15 from the floor with 13 points, seven assists, four turnovers, and four fouls in a four-point loss.
And it was the same issue that had been plaguing him all season that reared its ugly head at the worst possible time. Fears had been struggling a bit with his shot this year, especially from deep, and he was just 10-for-34 from the field in the tournament and 3-for-9 from deep.
If he shoots slightly below his season average of 40 percent from the floor, Michigan State is playing on Sunday evening against Duke.
Fears shot 43 percent from the field this season and 32 percent from three. If he can raise both of those 2-3 percent next season, I think Michigan State is a national title favorite.
Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr hold the key to No. 2
While I think the most important move by Izzo this offseason is to add a portal center and maybe another big man, the second-most important development for the team would be the improvement of both Fears and Coen Carr from 3-point range.
Fears took a step back in that category this year, hitting 32 percent, while Carr quadrupled the numbers of threes he made (21) in his first two seasons combined.
The improvement was obvious for both even if the numbers didn't show it. Both need to take another step next season to ensure that Michigan State's starting five has mostly shooters. If Michigan State has four guys who can hit threes in that starting five, it makes the Spartans that much harder to defend. They unfortunately didn't have that luxury this year.
Fears and Carr hold the key to Izzo's second national title.