Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 74-64 win over Oregon in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals
1. MSU plays like its built for tournament basketball
INDIANAPOLIS – If you’re looking for reasons why Michigan State’s men’s basketball team might be built for single-elimination-tournament basketball, we saw it Friday in the top-seeded Spartans’ 74-64 win over Oregon in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
“Strength in numbers” was a lot more than a slogan again.
It was Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr hitting first-half 3-pointers when Jase Richardson couldn’t get anything to fall. It was point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. playing one of his best halves of the season when Tre Holloman wasn’t on his game. And then Holloman finding his game when Fears struggled after halftime. It was the timely, collective quick passing for a bucket to keep an opponent at bay — Kohler backdoor to a cutting Fears to a slashing Carr for a dunk just when it was most needed with a few minutes left.
This is how you survive and advance — by having enough capable options and trust among teammates that you’ll find the right answers on a night when things aren’t perfect. Because the Spartans have that, in this tournament, they’ll play either 4-seed UCLA or 5-seed Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals.
One of the reasons MSU has won 27 games already this season is this this mix of options and matchups. It sometimes takes a minute for the coaches to find the players and combinations that have it in a given game, but they usually get there. And sometimes it evolves from half to half.
We saw Friday why this MSU team has a shot to still be playing in three weeks. Because against the other hottest team in the Big Ten, on an afternoon when it took Richardson and Holloman a while to get going and Jaden Akins missed two-thirds of his shots, the Spartans won rather comfortably.
That should make folks more comfortable about what’s ahead.
2. Richardson had an important day on a day he struggled
Jase Richardson finished with 17 points and didn’t shoot well at all — 4-for-13 from the floor (3-for-7 from 3), 6-for-10 from the line. That’s a good sign. Because it shows Richardson is continuing to recognize his leading role on this team. The important number for the freshman on an off night is the totals. Because this is a guy who halfway through the Big Ten season hadn’t taken more than eight shots in a single game.
That’s not what MSU needs from Richardson now. The Spartans need him to hunt good shots and stay aggressive. He’s their guy. They're going to ride him for 13-plus shots a game as far as they can, make or miss.
3. Coen Carr coming to a poster on a wall near you
One of these days, Coen Carr is going to dunk on someone something awful and it’s going to be the most viral clip in the history of basketball.
He tried a couple of times Friday — twice taking off from a long ways out and over a defender, trying to throw it down. The second time, which drew a foul with MSU ahead 54-43 and taking control, drew smiles from Carr and his teammates. They recognized the ridiculousness of what he was trying to do — and that for him it’s not all that ridiculous.
Carr had his best overall game since his 14 points eight rebounds against Rutgers in January — even on a day he missed most of his dunks, including an open alley-oop. Sure, he buried an open 3-pointer without hesitation and finished with 10 points. But the games when Carr is the biggest difference-maker is when he rebounds like this and hits his free throws. He hauled in eight boards, three memorably on the offensive end — including one for a putback off a missed 3 and another on a missed front end of a one-and-one free throw by a teammate, drawing his own foul and then knocking in both free throws. He made 3 of 4 shots at the line Friday. He also had two steals.
Carr is the sort of athlete who changes who the Spartans are athletically. He’s become a complete enough player for that athleticism to take hold. And when he’s rebounding like he did Friday, he’s a bear to deal with.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball beats Oregon 74-64 in Big Ten tournament: 3 quick takes
-
Jase Richardson, Michigan State basketball outduel Oregon 74-64 in Big Ten tournament
Jase Richardson scored 17 points to lead Michigan State basketball past Oregon in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Friday in Indianapolis.Yahoo Sports - 7h -
Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball's win over Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament
Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball's Big Ten Tournament win over OregonYahoo Sports - 7h -
Spartans advance in Big Ten Tournament with double digit victory over Oregon
Michigan State basketball has opened their Big Ten Tournament with a victory over Oregon in the quarterfinal.Yahoo Sports - 7h -
MSU expert columnist predicts MSU-Oregon game in Big Ten Tournament
Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal analyzes this Big Ten Tournament men's basketball matchup between Michigan State and Oregon.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Relive MSU basketball's Big Ten Tournament win over Oregon in this highlights video
Check out highlights from the Spartans' Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals win over Oregon on FridayYahoo Sports - 7h -
Michigan State basketball, Oregon might be 2 hottest teams in the Big Ten tournament
No. 6 Michigan State basketball, on a seven-game win streak, opens Big Ten tournament play at noon Friday vs. Oregon, which has won eight in a row.Yahoo Sports - 16h -
Michigan State vs. Oregon odds, prediction, time: 2025 Big Ten Tournament picks, best bets from proven model
SportsLine's model just revealed its college basketball picks for the Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoonCBS Sports - 10h -
How to watch Michigan State-Oregon in the Big Ten basketball tournament, live stream, betting line
What you need to know to watch the Michigan State vs. Oregon Big Ten tournament game on Friday in Indianapolis.Yahoo Sports - 22h -
How to watch Michigan vs. Purdue in Big Ten tournament quarterfinals
Michigan basketball faces off against Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament on Friday in Indianapolis.Yahoo Sports - 16h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the ...Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Siakam scores 27 points and helps Pacers rally with big second half to beat the 76ers 112-100
Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-100 on Friday night. Myles Turner added 18 points and seven rebounds, while ...Yahoo Sports - 21m -
Detroit Red Wings find their wind too late in 4-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes
Detroit Red Wings score: Michael Rasmussen got the Wings within a goal early in the third, but that was it in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.Yahoo Sports - 24m -
17-year-old Andreeva advances to Indian Wells final, beating Swiatek in chilly conditions
Yahoo Sports - 35m -
F1 Australian GP LIVE: Qualifying start time and practice updates as Ollie Bearman crashes again
Follow live build-up to qualifying in Melbourne with Charles Leclerc top of the leaderboardYahoo Sports - 35m
More in Sports
-
No. 1 Duke holds off furious North Carolina rally to win 74-71, reach ACC title game without Flagg
Kon Knueppel scored 17 points and No. 1 Duke held off a furious second half rally by rival North Carolina to beat its rival for the third time this season, 74-71 on Friday night to reach the ...Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Bruno hits back at Ratcliffe's 'overpaid' comments
Bruno Fernandes has hit back at Sir Jim Ratcliffe's suggestion that some Manchester United players are overpaid by telling the British billionaire "the club agrees to do the contracts."ESPN - 18m -
Siakam scores 27 points and helps Pacers rally with big second half to beat the 76ers 112-100
Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-100 on Friday night. Myles Turner added 18 points and seven rebounds, while ...Yahoo Sports - 21m -
Detroit Red Wings find their wind too late in 4-2 loss to Carolina Hurricanes
Detroit Red Wings score: Michael Rasmussen got the Wings within a goal early in the third, but that was it in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.Yahoo Sports - 24m -
75 years of innovation: How F1 has evolved since 1950 and where it's headed
To celebrate F1's 75th anniversary, ESPN charts the sport's evolution since 1950 through its most iconic cars, and details where it's headed in 2026.ESPN - 30m