Izzo threatens to bench Fears after critical tech

With his star point guard accused of employing dirty tactics for the second game in a row, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo called him out.

Izzo said Jeremy Fears Jr., who ranks second in the nation at 8.8 assists per game, “has got to grow up a little bit” after he was hit with a critical technical foul in the second half of the No. 10 Spartans’ 76-73 upset road loss against Minnesota on Wednesday.

Izzo said Fears’ actions could affect his playing status in the near future.

“I don’t even know if I’m going to start him the next game,” Izzo said after the loss, which dropped Michigan State to fourth in the Big Ten standings.

In the second half of Wednesday’s game, Minnesota guard Langston Reynolds was whistled for a foul after he got tangled with Fears. After Minnesota head coach Niko Medved asked for a review, Fears was given a technical foul when the replay showed his foot making contact with Reynolds’ groin on the play.

Izzo benched Fears after the technical.

Michigan State was down by five at the time, but Minnesota extended its lead to 12 about 90 seconds later and subsequently held on to hand the Spartans their second loss in a row.

“Those are critical plays,” Izzo said about the sequence that followed Fears’ technical foul.

In Michigan State’s loss to rival Michigan in East Lansing on Friday, Michigan coach Dusty May said there was “40 minutes” of footage that showed Fears crossing the line after he was accused of trying to trip star Yaxel Lendeborg in that game. May said Fears’ actions were both intentional and “dangerous.”

After Friday’s game, Izzo said “I don’t care” when he was told what May said, and added that the Michigan staff could “call me” if they wanted to discuss any plays in the game. He also accused the Wolverines of questionable actions.

On Wednesday, Izzo referenced May’s comments and said the aftermath of Friday’s game was handled “poorly,” suggesting that May’s comments had encouraged opposing players to “bait” Fears. He added, however, that Fears had brought the backlash onto himself.

“When somebody comes out and publicly says something about a guy that sometimes happens, but that’s Jeremy’s fault,” Izzo said. “I made sure I cleared all that up. I think the officials knew it. I talked to them. I did not see what happened on the play. I saw him get pushed and I saw his leg come up and I didn’t think he hit anybody, but if he did, then he deserves it, I guess. But if he didn’t, I questioned it. So are they baiting him? Well, of course. And it’s his fault.”