Before things spiraled, Michigan State sat at 19-4. Then came back-to-back losses against Minnesota and Michigan. But what truly sparked the frenzy was Jeremy Fears’ technical. In fact, just a day ago, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish sounded the alarm about how a certain on-court display may cause him to carry that legacy forever. That was just one voice among the chatter, but it didn’t take long for coach Tom Izzo to defend his guard.

“This whole thing started with the game before, which I think some of that was blown out of proportion. I did not like the backward kick. Okay, he was pushed; he did that. Sometimes those are reactionary. Sometimes I talk to him enough. And then the next day I had to come to Jesus meeting with him again, and I think for the time I was with him, he understands what’s going on,” Izzo said.

Fears was assessed a technical foul in Wednesday’s 76-73 loss to Minnesota for kicking Langston Reynolds backward. Officials didn’t see what Fears did, but upon review, a technical seemed fit. The head coach said his sophomore guard needed to “grow up a little bit,” and he was considering whether to bench him.

“You know what? If he plays that way, he deserves it,” Tom Izzo said. “He ain’t going to play that way if I bench him the next game.”

To top that, this was the second consecutive game in which a technical was given. Fears appeared to have intentionally tripped Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg during what was an intense matchup against No. 2 Michigan’s 83-71 victory last week. Even Michigan coach Dusty May publicly criticized Fears and the Spartans for what he thought was a dirty play in their rivalry game.

What fans and critics now see is a pattern forming. It doesn’t take long for one event to become a story. This narrative then changes how people perceive his on-court displays, which in turn determines how officials and opponents react. For a young player like Fears, who might be aiming for the NBA, this escalation is a real threat.

And we already have an exhibit in Grayson Allen, who is currently a Phoenix Suns guard. He had intentionally stuck out his leg and tripped an Elon Phoenix player back in December 2016, which resulted in an indefinite suspension from Duke. But that reputation of ‘tripping’ players followed him to the NBA.

As per Forbes in 2018, despite barely playing for the Utah Jazz, rookie guard Grayson Allen continued getting booed in NBA arenas based on his reputation while at Duke.

But the 20-year-old’s head coach seems to have his back.

“When you look at a kid, and you make decisions on your own kids or somebody else, you have to look at the whole picture, and the whole picture for me is a 3.1 student. Hunter Dickinson has had no injuries. He’s done absolutely zero off the court. I’ve never had a problem with him in the classroom.

“I’ve never had a problem with dr*gs and alcohol, all the normal problems that you have. So do I think it was like it was sad? Words were used to try to hurt somebody in that. If I thought that, and most of you know me pretty well, he wouldn’t even be here,” Izzo explained.

The 71-year-old isn’t going to let one mistake define his best player. He’ll punish Fears for the technical foul, but he won’t keep him on the bench for long. That might also be because Michigan State needs him to win. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore has been playing at an elite level all season, averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 assists per game, which has propelled him to be one of the best guards in the country.

Fears is playing the most minutes on the team, 30.8 per night. The Spartans’ only experienced playmaker is Fears, since point guard Divine Ugochukwu is out for the season with a foot injury. And if Izzo doesn’t play out this situation right, it might spell doom.

Tom Izzo’s Michigan State faces much bigger problems

The Fears drama is just one part of Michigan State’s nightmare. The Spartans just lost two games in a row, and things got worse when Divine Ugochukwu hurt his foot and had to end his season. Everything seems up in the air right now, and the next few games could make or break their whole season.

Just seven days ago, Michigan State was tied for the Big Ten lead and had lost two games in nearly three months. Now the Spartans have dropped two games in six days and are in fourth place.

Reflecting on the same, Izzo said, “For us, we need to regroup, get back on the floor. We got a challenge ahead of us for sure on Saturday.”

The Spartans have seven more regular-season games to play, and they don’t have much time left to turn things around against tough teams. However, an overtime win against Illinois is a sign of positivity.

Next up, they face Wisconsin, UCLA, Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana, Rutgers, and Michigan.

The next two weeks will show if the Spartans can get back on track or if they will succumb to their struggles, as it has been for the past eight seasons.