Michigan State basketball: Coen Carr grows up, sparks win over Oregon in Big Ten tourney
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s not often that Coen Carr misses a dunk. But he did Friday in Michigan State basketball’s Big Ten tournament opener with Oregon.
Twice. And absorbed a hard foul on a third attempt.
It didn’t matter to Tom Izzo. One bit.
“Coen grew up today,” the Hall of Fame coach said proudly in the MSU locker room after a 74-64 win over Oregon. “In a lot of ways.”
Carr finished with 10 points and tied a career high with eight rebounds. Sure, his first-half 3-pointer was a key part of a strong first-half finish that sent the No. 6 Spartans (27-5) into the break with a 10-point lead. But it was his second half intensity — particularly on the boards — that pushed 1-seed MSU into Saturday’s semifinal against 5-seed Wisconsin (1 p.m., CBS).
And the Spartans’ eighth straight win has them thinking about something bigger — making a case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament when the selections are announced Sunday.
“That's the talk around the locker room,” freshman Jase Richardson said, “trying to get a 1-seed.”
Richardson, who had 17 points despite going 4-for-13, took a knee to the neck late in the win but said afterward he felt fine and will be ready for Saturday’s semifinal.
On Friday, MSU's offense sputtered with four early turnovers to start the second half, and Oregon (24-9) clawed back within a point as Keeshawn Barthelemy’s 3-pointer capped an 11-2 run. Izzo called timeout with 15:33 left.
“We had some turnovers, we took some bad shots,” redshirt freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. said. “And we just were out of sync while they were making that run.”
Carr took over with an energized and impactful 6½-minute stretch as part of a 15-0 counterpunch knockout.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore swingman ripped five rebounds in that stretch, including a put-back after a Frankie Fidler jumper in the paint. Then after a Fidler 3-pointer in transition, Carr snagged another board and broke out running, getting fouled hard by Oregon star Nate Bittle while going for a thunder dunk. He made one of two at the line, but the pro-MSU crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted with the end-to-end hustle play.
“I mean, you just gotta play hard. That's all I was trying to do is play hard,” said Carr, who had three offensive rebounds and two steals. “The coaches told me to play hard, go out there and play fearless, play reckless, play free. So that's what I tried to go out there and do.”
Carr wasn’t alone in helping the Spartans to a 27-12 bench scoring advantage. Carson Cooper had all six of his points and four of his five rebounds in the first half, including a key stretch late after the Ducks took their final lead of the day at 28-27.
The 6-foot-11 junior center had a pair of putback buckets and another coming shortly after his third offensive board of the first half. MSU’s 7-0 edge on the offensive glass led to outscoring Oregon, 13-0, in second-chance points in building a 42-32 lead at the break.
“You had to keep your foot on their neck for the whole game and just continue to be aggressive. And that was what we were doing,” Cooper said. “We kind of got complacent and kind of got stagnant at the end, and then we got that little jolt.”
The Spartans needed those contributions from Carr and Cooper. Despite combining for 40 points, starting guards Richardson (17), Jaden Akins (12) and Fears (11) went just 12-for-33 from the floor and hit just 12 of 20 free-throw attempts. As a team, MSU — which entered the postseason ranked No. 12 nationally at 78.9% on free throws — hit 17 of 29 at the line Friday.
That continued a recent trend for the Spartans, who closed the regular season by making just 69.5% at the line over its final seven games after hitting 81% in the first 24 games. Most of those were close contests, but all of them ended as MSU wins. As did the game against the Ducks.
“They missed some free throws that they've made all year long,” Izzo said. “I'm gonna lose sleep over a lot of things, that won't be one of them.”
He’s also not pushing the internal conversation about a No. 1 seed – “I don’t ever talk about things I have no control over,” Izzo said – and believes the NCAA bracket essentially will be wrapped up before Sunday. That would give the Spartans one final opportunity to make a statement in Saturday’s semifinal game against the Badgers, who they beat 71-62 on March 2.
But they also want to add another banner before leaving Indianapolis.
“We feel like we gotta win this tournament to have a chance to (get a 1-seed),” Akins said.
Chris Solari's prediction for Michigan State basketball vs. Wisconsin
The Badgers went nine deep in Friday’s 86-70 win over UCLA and will be looking to exact revenge for their loss in East Lansing two weeks ago. But the Spartans’ defense elevates again and sends them into Sunday’s championship game for the first time since winning it all in 2019. The pick: MSU 78, Wisconsin 68.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball: Coen Carr sparks win in Big Ten tourney
-
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 - 21h -
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 - 1d -
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 - 21h -
Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 74-64 win over Oregon in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals
Columnist Graham Couch shares his thoughts on MSU's Big Ten tournament performance and win against Oregon on Friday afternoon with three quick takes.Yahoo Sports - 21h -
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 - 1d -
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 - 1d -
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 - 21h -
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 -
Big Ten Tournament - Oregon vs. Michigan State Predictions: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends, and Stats
Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan State Spartans Game PreviewYahoo Sports - 1d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Villanova fires coach Kyle Neptune after 3 years and no NCAA Tournament appearances, AP source says
Villanova fired Kyle Neptune after a three-year run where he succeeded Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and failed to ever make the NCAA Tournament, a person familiar with the decision told The ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Villanova fires coach Kyle Neptune after 3 years and no NCAA Tournament appearances, AP source says
Villanova fired Kyle Neptune after a three-year run where he succeeded Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and failed to ever make the NCAA Tournament, a person familiar with the decision told The ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Watch Jamal Murray sink dagger into Lakers; Nuggets hold on for win at home
No LeBron or Luka for Los Angeles, but Austin Reaves had 37 and the Lakers were feisty.Yahoo Sports - 19m -
Watch Jamal Murray sink dagger into Lakers; Nuggets hold on for win at home
No LeBron or Luka for Los Angeles, but Austin Reaves had 37 and the Lakers were feisty.Yahoo Sports - 19m -
Italy v Ireland LIVE: Score and updates from Six Nations as visitors snatch lead
A win is a must for the visitors after their grand slam hopes were ended by FranceYahoo Sports - 22m
More in Sports
-
Team-by-team preview: Can Orlando repeat as champions?
With the National Women's Soccer League returning to action this weekend, we take a look at where the 14 clubs stands and how close each is to winning the NWSL championship.ESPN - 12m -
One down, three to go: Chelsea on course for quadruple after League Cup win
Chelsea's bid to win four trophies was kickstarted with a 2-1 win over Man City in the League Cup final.ESPN - 14m -
One down, three to go: Chelsea on course for quadruple after League Cup win
Chelsea's bid to win four trophies was kickstarted with a 2-1 win over Man City in the League Cup final.ESPN - 14m -
Villanova fires coach Kyle Neptune after 3 years and no NCAA Tournament appearances, AP source says
Villanova fired Kyle Neptune after a three-year run where he succeeded Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and failed to ever make the NCAA Tournament, a person familiar with the decision told The ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Villanova fires coach Kyle Neptune after 3 years and no NCAA Tournament appearances, AP source says
Villanova fired Kyle Neptune after a three-year run where he succeeded Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and failed to ever make the NCAA Tournament, a person familiar with the decision told The ...Yahoo Sports - 17m