The No. 2 seed Spartans will return to Rocket Arena on Sunday to battle New Mexico for a trip to the Sweet 16.
In Cleveland, the second-seeded Michigan State basketball team secured a convincing 87-62 win against the fifteenth-seeded Bryant team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Coen Carr, coming in as a substitute, delivered an exceptional performance, scoring a career-best 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Jase Richardson added 15 points for coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans (28-6), who trailed for most of the first 15 minutes before taking control.
Michigan State, which has one of the deepest squads in the 68-team field, had five players score in double figures.
Next up, Michigan State is set to clash with New Mexico, the tenth seed, at Rocket Arena for the second round in the South Region. The Lobos advanced to this stage following a 75-66 win over Marquette.
Coach Izzo acknowledged Bryant’s strong start in the game, praising their aggressive play that put Michigan State on the back foot initially. He particularly credited Coen Carr for his impactful contribution off the bench, which helped turn the tide in Michigan State’s favor.
Rafael Pinzon led Bryant (23-12) with 21 points and Earl Timberlake scored 14.
“I’m proud of the guys. They did not back down. Even when it started to spiral a little bit, some of those huddles they were pretty locked in,” coach Phil Martelli Jr. said.
The Bulldogs scored the game’s first five points and stuck with the Spartans for most of the first half. Keyshawn Mitchell’s 3-pointer put the Bulldogs up 24-21 before Michigan State responded with a 10-0 run. Carr had the first five points in the burst and scored 15 points in the first half.
“They had me playing the five a little bit more, so I had to run my lane, run to the rim, so that’s all I was trying to do,” Carr said. “I just felt like I get to make those plays and my teammates feed off them every time so I keep doing that and I feel like that’s kind of my job on this team.”
Down but not knocked out
Timberlake, the America East Conference Player of the Year, also had four rebounds and five assists despite going to the locker room with seven minutes remaining in the first half after suffering a cut on his forehead after taking a hard foul from Michigan State’s Carson Cooper while going for a rebound.
“My head is ringing right now. I just wanted to come out there and be there for my guys, bloody or not,” Timberlake said.
Michigan State outrebounded Bryant 54-29 and also pulled down a season-high 21 offensive rebounds.
“We didn’t really make all the shots, so just for them to give us second-chance opportunities, just another chance to win the game and help us extend the lead. Coen obviously just giving us second-chance opportunities, and we capitalized off that,” Richardson said.
Up next
Izzo is 3-1 against the Pitino family in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans beat Richard Pitino when he was at Minnesota in the second round in 2019. Izzo is 2-1 against Rick Pitino.
“I know Richard and I know Rick. Damn family’s ruining my life here,” Izzo said in looking ahead to Sunday’s matchup.
AP March Madness bracket and coverage.
