Records are made to be broken, and one prominent Big Ten record may fall after just one season.
Michigan State star Jeremy Fears Jr. is on pace to break one of the more impressive records in the Big Ten that was set just one season ago by Purdue’s Braden Smith.
As you could probably guess, that record is single-season assists.
The single-season record for assists in Big Ten history is 313 by Smith one season ago. Smith broke his own previous record of 292 from the previous season, and that broke Cassius Winston’s record of 291 set back during the 2018-19 season. Before Cassius broke the record, Mateen Cleaves had it for 20 years after recording 274 back during the 1998-99 season.
So before Cassius and Smith, the record was almost untouchable for 20 years.
Now, Fears might be the one to break Smith’s record — that is, if he can out-battle Smith this season as the Big Ten’s top assist man. Right now, Smith has Fears beat by 0.1 assists per game. If Smith falls off slightly and finishes behind Fears, and the Michigan State point guard averages his usual 8.9 per game for the remainder of the season, he’ll break the single-season record. That is, as long as Michigan State plays 15 more games (10 regular season, 2 Big Ten Tournament, 3 NCAA Tournament).
This potential broken record isn’t being talked about enough.
Jeremy Fears is playing like a first-team All-American
Clutch plays, improved shooting, eye-opening play-making, and elite defense — Fears does it all.
Michigan State has relied heavily on Fears, and he’s delivered. The sophomore has arguably been the best player in the Big Ten over the past month, and he’s averaging over 17 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in conference play. Not only is he a Big Ten Player of the Year contender, but he should be in line to make the All-American first team.
Fears could break the conference’s single-season assists record — more than likely the Michigan State record — and he’s playing about as good on both ends of the floor as anyone in the country.
I’d be shocked if Fears isn’t an All-American this season, barring some huge slump.