Report: Fears Brothers Could Potentially Face Off in March

Michigan State redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is having himself a solid second season with the Green and White. His younger brother, Jeremiah, though, is putting together one of the best freshman campaigns in the nation for Oklahoma.

If only we could see them go toe-to-toe.

The most recent Fox Sports Bracketology from Michael DeCourcy has that as a potential scenario.

DeCourcy has both the Spartans and Sooners getting slotted in the East Region of the projected NCAA Tournament bracket. However, both teams would have long roads to face off against each other in this projection, as their paths wouldn’t cross until the Elite Eight if they both took care of business. 

Oklahoma, a projected 9-seed, would also potentially face off against the St. John’s Red Storm, a projected 5-seed, led by Hall-of-Fame coach Rick Pitino.

Before that, though, in this hypothetical, the Sooners would likely have to face the favorite out of the ACC, the Duke Blue Devils, a projected No. 1 seed, who feature star freshman forward Cooper Flagg.

Meanwhile, for the projected No. 3-seeded Spartans to ultimately run into Jeremiah's Sooners, they would likely have to go through a projected No. 2-seeded Florida or even their Big Ten foes, projected No. 7-seeded Maryland.

But first, Michigan State would have to face off against the ASUN projected champions, the FGCU Eagles, a team that has a history of upsets. During the 2013 tournament, FGCU was a 15-seed that had a historic upset over the 2-seed Georgetown Hoyas. The Eagles were coined with the nickname “Dunk City” for their exciting style of play, which resulted in a Sweet Sixteen finish.

Jeremy has been the leading facilitator for the Spartans, averaging 6.2 assists per game, just one season after his basketball career was put in jeopardy. He is third in the Big Ten in assists, behind Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr. and Purdue guard Braden Smith. 

Jeremiah has been the more assertive scorer of the two, averaging close to 16 points, four assists and three rebounds per game. He has also led the Sooners to a 16-6 record in the SEC, the most competitive conference in the country. The Sooners guard is the second-leading scorer among SEC freshmen, behind Texas guard Tre Johnson. 

Jeremiah has drawn interest from the NBA as the freshman is a projected first-round pick in most mock drafts.

A potential Fears brothers matchup is a storyline to continue to monitor as Selection Sunday nears.