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CLEVELAND – For a while it looked like it might be one of those games. Tom Izzo knows them well. The underdog comes out with its hair on fire. An uppercut here. A body blow there.
A couple 3-pointers. A few blocks. And halfway through the first half the underdog has the lead, as Bryant did over Michigan State.
Remember the last time MSU began the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed? Of course you do. And for a moment, the Middle Tennessee vibes were pulsating.
More: Michigan State basketball needed Tom Izzo to return to who he was, and he needed to adapt
It had been a minute since the Spartans entered the postseason with such a high seed, and with this much expectation. It feels different. And it felt different here at Rocket Arena.
MSU showed its nerves, and its youth in particular spots. The Spartans were amped to start, overamped, truthfully, and when Jase Richardson barely hit the rim on his first two shots, you could see the freshman guard was struggling to catch his breath.
Bryant scored the first five points. The Spartans missed their first four shots − and their first free throw. It wasn’t until Jaden Akins, the senior, got to the free-throw line that Spartans scored.
He followed with a 3-pointer. And as he ran down the court, he pushed his palms down near MSU’s bench, motioning everyone to calm down, that everything would be fine.
Eventually, it was, as MSU beat Bryant, 87-62, to advance to the second round, where it will play New Mexico here Sunday.
If Akins' shot settled the team, Coen Carr catapulted it. The sophomore forward played the game of his life. He ran the floor, as he always does, and dunked. He rebounded, too. Mostly, he supercharged the Spartans.
Bryant is long on the perimeter and tough everywhere. And unlike so many teams reluctant to crash the offensive glass because of the Spartans’ lethal fast break, fearless there, too.
Its athleticism may not have surprised MSU, but it bothered them, especially early, and forced the Spartans to swarm their defensive glass as well, keeping them from running. Points were a struggle early, except for Carr, who finished with a game-high 18.
He hit a pull-up from the left elbow midway through the first half. On the next possession, he laid it up. And when he got to the free throw line, he knocked them down, a relief considering his normally reliable teammates weren’t.
Twice, he soared in for offensive rebounds, rose up and dunked the putbacks off two feet. Single-handedly keeping the upset vibes at bay.
More: Jeremy Fears Jr. is starting to find himself. That's great for Michigan State basketball
Carr started the second half in place of Zapala. And Frankie Fidler played only long enough to give Carr a breather. It was his game. His athleticism countered Bryant’s. Or at least helped to match it.
His game was made for the matchup − and for the moment. Because he doesn’t live on the perimeter, where nerves can get in the way, he was free to unleash his otherworldly hops and quickness. Izzo’s been waiting for him to attack the boards like this, and to play defense like this.
This wasn’t his first time under the NCAA tournament spotlight, but he didn’t get this kind of run a year ago in Charlotte. And he took advantage of the opportunity.
Where Richardson and Jeremy Fears Jr. took a bit to find their footing − and slow their heartrates – Carr channeled his extra juice into a season-saving night.
Maybe they win without his breakout turn, but not likely. This is how it’s been for these Spartans all season. If one side of the floor gets a little sticky, someone on the other side gasses it.
Sunday, it may be someone else. Or it may be someone else and Carr again. Because what he did, he can duplicate. Energy is like that.
He should have no problem bringing it again.
Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball proves it can stay calm after stressful start
Continue reading...
A couple 3-pointers. A few blocks. And halfway through the first half the underdog has the lead, as Bryant did over Michigan State.
Remember the last time MSU began the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed? Of course you do. And for a moment, the Middle Tennessee vibes were pulsating.
More: Michigan State basketball needed Tom Izzo to return to who he was, and he needed to adapt
It had been a minute since the Spartans entered the postseason with such a high seed, and with this much expectation. It feels different. And it felt different here at Rocket Arena.
MSU showed its nerves, and its youth in particular spots. The Spartans were amped to start, overamped, truthfully, and when Jase Richardson barely hit the rim on his first two shots, you could see the freshman guard was struggling to catch his breath.
Bryant scored the first five points. The Spartans missed their first four shots − and their first free throw. It wasn’t until Jaden Akins, the senior, got to the free-throw line that Spartans scored.
He followed with a 3-pointer. And as he ran down the court, he pushed his palms down near MSU’s bench, motioning everyone to calm down, that everything would be fine.
All is well, Spartans
Eventually, it was, as MSU beat Bryant, 87-62, to advance to the second round, where it will play New Mexico here Sunday.
If Akins' shot settled the team, Coen Carr catapulted it. The sophomore forward played the game of his life. He ran the floor, as he always does, and dunked. He rebounded, too. Mostly, he supercharged the Spartans.
Bryant is long on the perimeter and tough everywhere. And unlike so many teams reluctant to crash the offensive glass because of the Spartans’ lethal fast break, fearless there, too.
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Its athleticism may not have surprised MSU, but it bothered them, especially early, and forced the Spartans to swarm their defensive glass as well, keeping them from running. Points were a struggle early, except for Carr, who finished with a game-high 18.
He hit a pull-up from the left elbow midway through the first half. On the next possession, he laid it up. And when he got to the free throw line, he knocked them down, a relief considering his normally reliable teammates weren’t.
Twice, he soared in for offensive rebounds, rose up and dunked the putbacks off two feet. Single-handedly keeping the upset vibes at bay.
More: Jeremy Fears Jr. is starting to find himself. That's great for Michigan State basketball
Carr started the second half in place of Zapala. And Frankie Fidler played only long enough to give Carr a breather. It was his game. His athleticism countered Bryant’s. Or at least helped to match it.
His game was made for the matchup − and for the moment. Because he doesn’t live on the perimeter, where nerves can get in the way, he was free to unleash his otherworldly hops and quickness. Izzo’s been waiting for him to attack the boards like this, and to play defense like this.
Not his first rodeo
This wasn’t his first time under the NCAA tournament spotlight, but he didn’t get this kind of run a year ago in Charlotte. And he took advantage of the opportunity.
Where Richardson and Jeremy Fears Jr. took a bit to find their footing − and slow their heartrates – Carr channeled his extra juice into a season-saving night.
Maybe they win without his breakout turn, but not likely. This is how it’s been for these Spartans all season. If one side of the floor gets a little sticky, someone on the other side gasses it.
Sunday, it may be someone else. Or it may be someone else and Carr again. Because what he did, he can duplicate. Energy is like that.
He should have no problem bringing it again.
Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball proves it can stay calm after stressful start
Continue reading...
