Michigan State experienced nightmare scenario No. 1 when Jeremy Fears Jr. landed awkwardly on a UConn player after going up for a layup and being fouled.
Fears looked to have extended his leg awkwardly and immediately slammed his fist on the floor in frustration, looking over to the bench for assistance. He was able to get up and gingerly walked off the floor in obvious pain with a heavy limp. Losing Fears would absolutely be worst-case scenario seeing as he’s the nation’s best player on a team with just one true backup point guard.
Losing Fears would put a massive strain on this team, so it made sense that everyone was holding their breath as he limped to the end of the bench to get evaluated.
Fears would surprisingly come back into the game shortly after and he looked completely fine. He didn’t slow down and ran the floor well which was a great sign considering there were some of us (me) who immediately thought the injury looked really bad. The preseason All-American would finish the game without any hiccups.
Izzo didn’t have any answers on Tuesday after the game but he provided a somewhat positive update on Thursday which is a good sign that it’s not a long-term injury.
Tom Izzo and Jeremy Fears Jr. both said after practice they expect Fears to play Sunday at Marquette. Izzo wouldn’t commit 100% but it’s certainly his expectation. Won’t risk it though if it’s something that can linger, he said.
— Stephen Brooks (@StephenM_Brooks) October 22, 2026
Izzo and Fears both said that they expected him to play on Sunday against Marquette. Izzo is going to approach this with caution, though, so if the trainers say that he probably shouldn’t go just to avoid something long-term, he’s going to have to turn to true freshman Carlos Medlock Jr.
If that’s the case, Michigan State football could start true freshman Kayd Coffman at UCLA on Saturday and Michigan State basketball could start true freshman Medlock at Marquette.
We could get a glimpse into the future this weekend but let’s hope that’s not necessary.
Carlos Medlock Jr. could get a much-needed tune-up
There might not be a better chance for Medlock to prove himself and see some good minutes against a potential NCAA Tournament team.
Medlock was shaky in the opener, missing all but one of his seven pass attempts but he did get seven up in just 10 minutes. If nothing else, Medlock is going to hunt for his own shot more than Fears does and we’ll see what that can do for an offense that’s often too passive in the halfcourt. Michigan State needs more guys to want to drive the lane every time they touch it. Jordan Scott is also becoming that type of player.
Medlock could use a tune-up after that 1-for-7 performance and it’ll help him grow up in a hurry.
Again, this is only if Fears is held out of Sunday’s game. That’s probably going to mean about 30-35 minutes at point for Medlock with no true third option. Izzo has mentioned Scott as an emergency point guard, but again, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. It is better now than in March, however.
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