OU Basketball: Oklahoma Guard Jeremiah Fears Named to Wooden Midseason Watchlist

A freshman guard, Jeremiah Fears leads Oklahoma in points, steals and rebounds per game.

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma freshman guard Jeremiah Fears has been named to the Wooden Award Men's Midseason Watch List, joining 24 other standout players, as announced Tuesday evening.

Chosen by a panel of college basketball experts, this midseason list highlights the top student-athletes in contention for the Wooden Award All-America Team and the prestigious Most Outstanding Player award.

A 6-foot-4 guard from Illinois, Fears currently ranks sixth among freshmen nationally and seventh in the SEC, averaging 17.9 points per game. Fears is also the No. 17 Sooners’ leader in assists and steals per game, averaging 4.4 and 2.2 respectively.

Additionally, Fears is averaging 3.6 rebounds per contest and boasts a 84.3% free-throw percentage.

Recognized twice as the SEC Freshman of the Week, Fears was also part of the Battle 4 Atlantis all-tournament team. His performance there included an average of 18.7 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 steals, leading Oklahoma to wins over Providence, Arizona, and Louisville.

In a dramatic finish against No. 24 Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, Fears scored a career-high 30 points, including a crucial four-point play that clinched an 87-86 victory for OU with just 11 seconds left. His shooting stats from that game were 8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range, and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line.

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Fears has continued a legacy at OU, being the first freshman since Trae Young in 2017-18 to score in double digits in his first 14 games. With four games of 20+ points and three more near that mark, he has been instrumental in leading the Sooners to a 13-1 record, matching their best start since the 2015-16 Final Four team.

The Wooden Award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in men’s college basketball. OU has a storied history with the award, having produced winners in Blake Griffin (2008-09) and Buddy Hield (2015-16).

The 2025 Wooden Award winner and All-Americans will be celebrated at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 11, 2025.

Fears and the Sooners are set to face No. 10 Texas A&M next at home in Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday at 8 p.m.