CLEVELAND — By the end of Friday night’s game, after midnight, the flashbacks to Middle Tennessee State in 2016 had long been washed away by offensive rebounds and Coen Carr and a Michigan State team that, in the second half, looked like a group that can and expects to make a run in this NCAA tournament.
The Spartans had to conquer some early nerves and a fearless and versatile Bryant team that had a little something to them. The 87-62 final score doesn’t tell the entire story of this one. But it was a deserved outcome by an MSU team that found its stride and did more than survive and advance.
The Spartans will play 10-seed New Mexico at 8:40 p.m. Sunday night, another late night. An inconvenience they’ll gladly take.
MSU’s guards, relatively silent for a half — other than a calming early 3 by Jaden Akins — exploded for 37 points in the second half, with Jeremy Fears pushing the ball and scoring nine of those points, Jase Richardson finally getting going with 10, Tre Holloman with 11 and Akins with seven.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
This would up being a trickier matchup than anticipated. It took the Spartans a while. In the end, they figured it out. And showed some teeth. They’ll feel good about this one as they move on.
2. This was a Coen Carr game
You could see it early — for MSU to win enough of the matchups to get control of this thing, Coen Carr would have to be on the court.
Bryant was athletic and long at the guard and wing spots, athletic and undersized at power forward and wiry at the center spot. And impressively confident and tough. A pain-in-the-butt matchup for MSU’s big men all around, even it seemed like MSU should have had an edge offensively. This was a game where Carr’s athleticism on both ends and versatility defensively made him the key to every MSU lineup, technically playing power forward — including starting the second half — though guarding anyone of Bryant’s guards and forwards, all 6-foot-6 to 6-8.
It’s one thing to have the body type and athletic ability for the job. Your game also has to be ready for this. And Carr’s was and is. We knew that based on the season he had and the well-rounded, improving player he’s become. But this is a different sort of stage and a moment he had to meet — and he did.
By halftime, he had 15 points and five rebounds. He finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, six on the offensive end. His five quick points when MSU trailed 24-21 in the first half — on a tremendous offensive rebound and dunk, followed by a spinning layup while being fouled (and made free throw) — was one of the more important sequences of the game, helping MSU get out in front for the first time heading into halftime. His put-back posterizing dunk over Bryant’s Earl Timberlake will likely be seen again when “One Shining Moment” is played at the end of this tournament.
One of the great strengths of this MSU team is how it has an answer to most puzzles. Carr was it Friday. And he was ready for it.
3. This game turned when MSU began dominating the offensive glass
There was no greater example of MSU wearing down Bryant and being the best version of itself than how the Spartans began to dominate the boards in the second half, especially on the offensive end. It’s how MSU took control of the game.
What was a meager 5-4 offensive rebounding advantage in the first half ballooned in the second half, with MSU grabbing 16 offensive boards to Bryant’s four after halftime. That led to a whopping 27 second-chance points over the final 20 minutes. Jaxon Kohler had four of those offensive rebounds. Carson Cooper, Coen Carr and Frankie Fidler had three each. The way Kohler and Carr hauled in offensive rebounds in traffic during a critical juncture in the middle of the half led to the 3-point shots that put the game away.
It’s one of the biggest differences between this year’s MSU team and the teams of the last few years. It’s an identity that wins games and prevents upsets in March.
Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and on BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
