Jeremiah Fears has been one of the most explosive offensive players in all of college basketball this season, and Wednesday night was no exception. With Oklahoma near to the edge of the projected NCAA Tournament field, the Sooners were in need of a huge win when they took on #14 Missouri. Fears put the team on his back for 31 points, scoring a career-high as Oklahoma won 96-84.
Jeremiah Fears Gets it Done For Oklahoma Against Missouri
Oklahoma had their final home game of the season on Wednesday, welcoming the Missouri Tigers to Lloyd Noble Center. Both teams were in desperate need of a win, with Missouri having lost 2 of 3 and Oklahoma having an even worse recent mark, with just 1 win in 8.
Ultimately, Oklahoma led for almost the entire game and kept a multiple-possession lead for the entire second half. Sam Goodwin went for double-digits in just 11 minutes before exiting with an injury, while Jalon Moore and Mohamed Wague also went for 10+. The Sooners stayed even with the Tigers on the glass as well. However, the story of the night was once again Jeremiah Fears.
The sensational freshman has been averaging 15.9 points per game along with 4.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds. In his last two outings, Fears has largely disappointed, shooting a combined 11-32 in his last two outings, both of which were losses. Against Mizzou, Fears redeemed his recent slump with a massive performance.
Fears got to work early in the first half, knifing to the basket at will and continuing to wow fans with crafty finishes and impressive passes. His ability to penetrate the defense consistently was responsible for so much of Oklahoma’s offense. Fears only shot two three-pointers, making one, but was incredibly efficient from inside the arc. He went 9-13 overall and 12-12 from the foul line to total 31 points – a career high.
Jeremiah Fears Receives Immense Praise From Head Coach Porter Moser
Head coach Porter Moser had immense praise for how Fears played, noting to reporters postgame that Fears only had 1 turnover in the game. Against a Missouri team with long wings and aggressive point-of-attack defenders, Fears played incredibly poised against a Tigers squad that loves to press.
“I think against the press, I know you guys are all talking about the 31 Fears had, he had one turnover and ten drawn fouls. To handle Missouri’s press, which they just come and they come at you and come at you, we handled it all night.”
Fears continues to play with so much more maturity than anyone would expect from an 18-year-old. He is likely to be a top-10 selection in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. Even though he stands at just 6-foot-4 and does not project to have a ton of upside as a defender, his sheer scoring ability cannot be ignored, and will not be discounted by many NBA teams.
Fans are once again buzzing following Fears’ incredible evening:
Notwithstanding the record through the stretch, Oklahoma has been a different team the last four games (much more the early season form). The difference is one thing: Jeremiah Fears is a lottery pick, and he’s played like it again.
— Joey Helmer (@joey_helmer) March 6, 2025
BOOMER 🔴
Jeremiah Fears is doing everything in his power to will this Oklahoma team to the NCAA Tournament and a win tonight against #15 Mizzou along with a new career high is HUGE in doing just that👀 pic.twitter.com/n7ekKqCQXm
— The Full Court Trap Podcast (@thefullcttrap) March 6, 2025
Sometimes you just need your stars to potentially save your season. That’s what Jeremiah Fears did in a must win game for Oklahoma. The star freshman scored 31 on 9-13 with five assists. Brilliant showing to lead Oklahoma 96 points in a win over No. 15 Missouri.
— Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) March 6, 2025
Oklahoma has one game remaining, a road matchup against Texas. The Red River Rivalry will have extremely high stakes, as both teams are in need of some more resume-boosting wins before the SEC Tournament begins.
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