Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during a men’s college Bedlam basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Oklahoma won 80-65. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
With his team down three, freshman Jeremiah Fears made his move with just 14 seconds remaining in the game.
He diced left, grabbed the dribble handoff and heaved a high-arcing 3-pointer that fell pure — but the play wouldn’t end there. As he fired, he was hit on the arm, eventually being sent to the line for a four-point play, which he converted to push No. 14 Oklahoma past No. 24 Michigan by just one point.
The Sooners needed a gargantuan effort from their freshman guard on Wednesday night, and they certainly got it. All in all, Fears finished with 30 points on 8-for-12 shooting, hitting three of his four 3-pointers and finishing with four assists, three rebounds and one steal. It was likely the best game of his young collegiate career.
Coming into Oklahoma’s game against Michigan, Fears had poured on 16.7 points per game on 48% shooting, stats that will now receive a boost due to his heroics. At around 6-foot-2, he’s dazzled as a leading scorer, despite his youth, and seems to have the passing chops NBA franchises are looking for, too.
The only real qualm with Fears’ game remains his turnovers, in which he added another five on Wednesday night. But NBA organizations likely won’t fret over a newly 18-year-old’s still-developing game.
In the biggest game of the night, Fears certainly had attention on him. He’s already garnered lottery interest from a variety of draft experts, and Wednesday night’s game could push him even further.
The competition is steep this year, with players like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Kasparas Jakucionis and more near the top. But Fears is doing his best to include himself with that bunch.
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