Jeremiah Fears sinks wild 4-point play to lift No. 11 Oklahoma past No. 24 Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational

On By Littum

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 18: Jeremiah Fears #0 of the Oklahoma Sooners reacts during the second half of his game against the Michigan Wolverines during the Jumpman Invitational at the Spectrum Center on December 18, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

Jeremiah Fears dropped 30 points and made the game-winning play late Wednesday night in Charlotte. (Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

It took four points in the final seconds, but Jeremiah Fears kept the Sooners perfect Wednesday night.

Fears sank a contested 3-pointer from the wing with just 11.5 seconds left on the clock and fouled out as he was knocked to the rim. That shot tied the game, and then the 18-year-old freshman sank the free throw to lift the No. 14 Oklahoma to an 87-86 win over No. 24 Michigan at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte.

The win pushed Oklahoma to a perfect 11-0 on the season. It’s the program’s best start since the 2015-16 campaign.

“It was just amazing,” Fears said on ESPN. “It was actually to one of my teammates, but they ended up denying him, and coach just looked at me and said, ‘Make a play.’ … Just knowing the work I put in, I’ve put in countless hours and sleepless nights and I think it helped pay off today.”

Michigan seemed well on its way to a win Wednesday night, even building an 11-point lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game. But the Sooners went on a big 15-4 run late in the period to get back into the game, then held Michigan scoreless in the final 70 seconds to set up their final play.

Vladislav Goldin led Michigan with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Danny Wolf finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Wolverines went just 4-of-28 from behind the arc as a team. The loss also marked their second straight after a two-point loss to Arkansas last week.

Fears finished with a career-high 30 points in the win while shooting 8-of-12 from the field. He also went 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Duke Miles added 17 points and Jalon Moore finished with 16 points and four rebounds. They were the only three Sooners to hit double figures in the win.

The Sooners will host both Central Arkansas and Prairie View to finish their non-conference slate. Their first SEC game since making the jump to the conference will be at No. 6 at Alabama on Jan. 4, which should be a huge test for Fears and the Sooners. Based on their start, however, they appear to be more than capable of hanging with the Crimson Tide at the top of that conference in the coming months.