BUFFALO, N.Y. — No. 3 seed Michigan State men’s basketball smashed program and tournament records on the way to clinching yet another Sweet 16 appearance. The Spartans cruised to a 77-69 victory over No. 6 seed Louisville in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
This was a scrappy, physical and defensive game; exactly the style the MSU head coach Tom Izzo wants to play in March, and the mentality of the players matched that energy.
“One thing I told the guys coming into this game was: empty the tank, when we get home, we can get a new tank, you can’t leave anything out there, [it’s] just win or go home,” MSU senior guard Trey Fort said.
Fort has been a revelation in recent weeks, going from out of the rotation to on the court when the final buzzer sounded.
The veteran guard started his second consecutive game with a four-point play on his first shot attempt, he continued to stay hot, and finished with 12 points in 18 minutes of action.
“Trey has had a miserable year from what we were expecting, and instead of quitting, he stuck with it… and he’s had a big tournament so far,” Izzo said.
Spartans junior forward Coen Carr took over the game on both ends of the court. On offense, Carr had a team-high 21 points, converting on everything from corner three-pointers to attempts at the rim, where the high-flyer had to finish through contact.
“It means a lot, just to be in March Madness, one of the greatest stages on Earth, to have a good game,” Carr said. “Having a game like this, I just credit it to my coaches, my teammates, just for always believing in me. They always want me to go out there and be aggressive, and that’s what I try to focus on today.”
Spartan redshirt-sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was more impressed with Carr’s defense and career-high 10 rebounds, which was good enough for his career-high.
“Defense was something me and him talked about, in order for our team and us to take another step that we need to take our defense to another level, and I think today, he answered the bell,” Fears Jr. said.
Not to be outdone, Fears Jr. had a few milestones himself. The nation’s leading passer dished 16 assists, which ties him with Sam Crawford, Earl Watson and Ja Morant for the third most assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
He also broke Hall of Fame Spartan alum Magic Johnson’s program record for the most assists in consecutive NCAA Tournament games with 27.
“If anyone even says your name with Magic Johnson, that’s pretty cool, and when they say your name with Mateen Cleaves; for me, those guys are Michigan State royalty,” Izzo said.
Izzo has been impressed with Fears’ on-court production, as well as his leadership.
“Jeremy’s getting close to making this team a player-led team, not quite there yet…But I like the fact that I think he’s starting to enjoy that,” Izzo said.
Izzo improved his record in the Round of 32 to 17-5, and will return to the second weekend of the tournament in back-to-back seasons.
The Hall of Famer was emotional when he took time to reflect on the accomplishment.
“Sweet 16’s are a limited separator… getting into the tournament, we kinda take that for granted at our place… but you get to the Sweet 16 and win two games, that’s difficult,” Izzo said.
The Spartans secured their spot in the Sweet 16 and will play the winner of UCLA/UConn on Friday, March 27, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
