9.4 Assists a Game Make Jeremy Fears Jr. the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year

Photo: Michigan State Athletics. Official Jeremy Fears Jr. headshot, 2026-27 Michigan State men's basketball.

Jeremy Fears Jr. was named the Big Ten's 2026-27 Preseason Player of the Year on Monday by the conference's media panel, and the same panel made him one of two unanimous picks on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.

Fears led the country with 9.4 assists a game last season and was the only Division I player to average at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists, so the media handed its top preseason honor to a pass-first point guard.

Preseason player of the year usually goes to the league's best scorer. Fears scored 15.2 a night, enough to lead Michigan State and nowhere near a scoring title. Voters picked him anyway, and the reason shows up on any Spartan possession from last winter. The offense started with his first read. He led Michigan State in assists in all 35 games, hit double-digit assists 15 times and posted 11 points-and-assists double-doubles.

The record book backs it up. His 328 assists set a Michigan State single-season mark, breaking the 291 Cassius Winston put up in 2018-19, and the record fell on a 13-assist night against UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament second round he handed out 16 in a 77-69 win over Louisville, which broke the program's tournament single-game record of 14 set by Earvin Johnson in 1978.

Look at the turnover column before the highlight passes. Fears finished with a 3.86 assist-to-turnover ratio, second in the Big Ten and fourth in the country. At 9.4 assists a game, that works out to roughly 2.4 turnovers a night for a guard who had the ball on almost every trip. He also shot 88.5% at the line, third in the conference, so late-game fouling him is a bad bet.

The scoring number is the one to watch this season. He went for 20 or more nine times last season and scored in double figures in 28 of 35 games, which shows both the ceiling and the floor. Big Ten staffs now have a full year of film on those 328 assists. He tested the NBA draft, earned a combine invite and pulled his name out late to come back as a redshirt junior, and a bigger scoring load is the clear next step for a guard who already led the country in assists.

The first look came Friday, Oct. 2. Michigan State beat Incarnate Word 89-59 in its opening exhibition at the Breslin Center, and Fears had 10 points and 13 assists while Jesse McCulloch led the team with 20. That box score follows the same pattern as last season, with Fears setting the table and someone else taking the scoring lead. UConn comes to the Breslin Center for the next exhibition on Oct. 20, the first high-major opponent on the schedule.

Photo: Michigan State Athletics. Jeremy Fears Jr. against Incarnate Word, Oct. 2, 2026 exhibition at the Breslin Center.

The honor also comes with a twist in the standings. The Columbus Dispatch's separate media poll, released Monday morning, gave Fears 23 of 28 player-of-the-year votes, with Illinois' David Mirkovic at four and Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort at one. That poll picked Illinois to win the league with 18 first-place votes, Michigan State second with nine and defending national champion Michigan third with one. The media's best player plays for its second-place team.

That gap is the season-long story for Tom Izzo, who starts his 32nd year at Michigan State with a stated goal of reaching the Final Four in Detroit. Michigan brings Elliot Cadeau, another point guard on the preseason team, and Illinois has two names on it in Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic. Fears already owns the nation's assist title and Blue Ribbon's preseason national player of the year pick from last month. His assist and turnover lines against Illinois and Michigan will decide whether the Big Ten vote holds up in March.

Sources

• Big Ten Conference: Michigan State's Fears Named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Oct. 5, 2026. Media panel Preseason POY; Fears and Sandfort unanimous on Preseason All-Big Ten Team; 15.2 points, nation-leading 9.4 assists; only player at 15.0 and 9.0; 328 assists; 16 assists vs. Louisville in 77-69 second-round win, breaking Earvin Johnson's 14 from 1978; led MSU in assists all 35 games; 15 games of 10-plus assists; 11 double-doubles; double figures in 28 of 35; nine 20-point games.
• Michigan State Athletics: Jeremy Fears Jr. Named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Oct. 5, 2026. Redshirt junior; Blue Ribbon preseason National Player of the Year; 3.86 assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd Big Ten, 4th nationally); 88.5% FT (3rd Big Ten); 13 assists vs. UCLA in Big Ten Tournament broke Cassius Winston's 291 from 2018-19; 89-59 exhibition win over Incarnate Word Oct. 2; UConn exhibition Oct. 20.
• MLive: Michigan State's Jeremy Fears is runaway choice for Big Ten preseason Player of the Year. Oct. 5, 2026. Dispatch poll 23 of 28 votes; NBA draft and combine invite, late withdrawal; Illinois 18 first-place votes, MSU 9, Michigan 1; Izzo 32nd season, Final Four in Detroit goal; Fears 10 points and 13 assists vs. Incarnate Word, McCulloch 20.
• Columbus Dispatch: Illinois tops Dispatch preseason men's hoops poll. Oct. 5, 2026. Fears 23 votes, Mirkovic 4, Sandfort 1.
• Photo: Michigan State Athletics. Official Jeremy Fears Jr. headshot, 2026-27 Michigan State men's basketball.
• Photo: Michigan State Athletics. Jeremy Fears Jr. against Incarnate Word, Oct. 2, 2026 exhibition at the Breslin Center.