Michigan State and Michigan certainly have a fierce rivalry, but it is at its highest on the basketball court. These are two programs that have had their fair share of success on the court, and it has been a back-and-forth game on the hardwood.
Michigan swept the series in the 2025-2026 season after losing four straight the last two seasons to the Spartans. Not only did Michigan get the last laugh with two wins this season, but it then went on to win it all in the National Championship, with Dusty May hoisting the trophy, matching Izzo's number of championships in just two seasons at Michigan.
However, the Wolverines lost some good players to the NBA Draft, but May made sure to find quality replacements. Michigan State had good retention of its team and just got back a key member who is going to make things really tough for Michigan and the Big Ten next season.
Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr.s officially withdrew from the NBA Draft just before the deadline on Wednesday, landing him back in East Lansing.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to Michigan State next season, per his agent Mike Miller.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 28, 2026
Will be an All-American entering the 2026-27 season.
Fears had second-round options, but opted to return to East Lansing.
Jeremy Fears Jr. brings back his talent and dirty plays to college basketball
Many Michigan fans will remember last season when Michigan State came to Ann Arbor for what was a highly-ranked matchup in the rivalry. Michigan came out on top, but Fears came out as the biggest headline from that game after receiving a technical foul for a dirty play on Michigan's Elliot Cadeau.
For anyone who doesn't remember, Cadeau was guarding Fears, and Fears ended up kicking his leg back, hitting Cadeau in the groin. Rightfully so, Fears received a technical foul after the play. In East Lansing, Fears also appeared to intentionally trip Yaxel Lendeborg, and it had May saying his style of play is dangerous.
However, when you put aside the dirty plays, Fears is actually very talented on the basketball court and a real asset to Michigan State. Fears was the leading scorer for the Spartans last season with 15.2 points per game, along with 9.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds.
Getting Fears back just gave Michigan State a stacked roster with player retention and some solid freshman talent coming in. Michigan State is looking like a solid contending team, and that was before Fears announced his return.
Now, Tom Izzo could make that big push into the NCAA Tournament that he has struggled to do for years. Izzo has struggled to get past the Sweet 16 for some time, but now his squad is looking like one that could go a lot further than that, and so does Michigan's.
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