Sooner Nation shouldn't get used to having freshman guard Jeremiah Fears around Oklahoma (unless it's playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder).
ESPN released its latest NBA mock draft as March Madness tips off in college basketball. According to ESPN's latest projections, Fears is predicted to go to the Houston Rockets with 11th overall pick in the first round.
Fears has been projected as a top-15 draft pick by nearly every major outlet most of the season.
What this means for OU is that it will have its young star for only one season, which will now at least be extended with the Sooners headed to the NCAA Tournament.
Fears has been phenomenal for the Sooners this season, especially down the stretch as OU has fought its way back into the field of 68. He leads the Sooners with 16.7 points a game this season and has scored double digits in all but four games this season.
What excites scouts the most about Fears is what he's doing at his age. Fears reclassified from the 2026 class to 2025 last year, meaning he should still be a senior in high school.
Despite turning 18 just weeks before his freshman season started, Fears has not only held his own, but has emerged as one of the best players in the toughest conference in college basketball this year.
More impressively, Fears has come up big in times seasoned veterans usually would. With OU's NCAA Tournament chances seemingly gone, Fears has been leading OU's charge back into the mix. He's averaging 21 points during the Sooners' current three-game winning streak that includes a top-15 upset, rivalry win on the road and OU's first-ever SEC tournament win.
While handling the ball, he turned the ball over only once against then-No. 15 Missouri and twice against Texas in Austin. Against Georgia in the first round of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, he had five turnovers in the first half but didn't turn the ball over again in the second half.
With how he's playing in March, Fears' stock could rise even more after the Sooners' time in the NCAA Tournament.