NCAA Tournament: 5 Things We Learned About the Michigan State Spartans

5. Coen Carr Emerges

What an athlete Coen Carr is. Big Ten fans have known about his jumping ability since he was recruited to Michigan State, and his highlights went viral. He struggled to see the floor much last season as a freshman and has seen his spot in the rotation moved around as he still does not offer much of anything as a shooter. Carr is starting to put it together and is a force on defense, finishing with eight points and six rebounds. Every time he touches the ball, it seems like a highlight play is coming. Carr’s athleticism is something the Spartans will need against the Rebels in the Sweet Sixteen, and he can be a difference-maker, much like he was against Bryant.

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2. Veterans Lead the Way

The captains and veteran leaders of this Michigan State squad got the job done against the New Mexico Lobos. The only four-year player on the team is Jaden Akins. He led the team with 16 points on 7 for 11 shooting. Co-captain Tre Holloman was behind him with 14 points and a critical late dagger from three that effectively sealed the game. Recruiting is vital and understandably gets much attention, but development and veteran leaders are also incredibly important. The mantra “get old and stay old” is something many coaches live by in today’s college basketball landscape, and Michigan State’s “old guys” led them to the win on Sunday night.

3. Jase Richardson Struggles

Those veterans were needed because freshman Jase Richardson was bad against New Mexico. Richardson is a dynamic scorer, but he missed his first nine shots before finally hitting the only shot from the field in the game’s final minute. Michigan State beating a quality opponent despite getting next to nothing from Richardson is encouraging. Still, they’ll need much better if they are to knock off the Ole Miss Rebels in Atlanta.

4. Defense Sets the Tone for Spartans

As we saw against the Bryant Bulldogs on Friday night, the Michigan State Spartans came out flat and looked bad for much of the first half. They trailed 7-0, and Tom Izzo was visibly upset with his team’s defense, particularly in the post. The offense never looked great, but the defense helped MSU get back into the game and limited New Mexico to just 63 points, 18 points below their season average. The Lobos were limited to three fast-break points and were primarily shut down to close the first half as the Spartans cut the deficit from nine points to just two.

5. Coen Carr Emerges

What an athlete Coen Carr is. Big Ten fans have known about his jumping ability since he was recruited to Michigan State, and his highlights went viral. He struggled to see the floor much last season as a freshman and has seen his spot in the rotation moved around as he still does not offer much of anything as a shooter. Carr is starting to put it together and is a force on defense, finishing with eight points and six rebounds. Every time he touches the ball, it seems like a highlight play is coming. Carr’s athleticism is something the Spartans will need against the Rebels in the Sweet Sixteen, and he can be a difference-maker, much like he was against Bryant.

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