3 Takeaways as Michigan State Basketball Powers by Louisville, Earns Sweet 16 Bid

On Saturday, Michigan State basketball was back on court in the Round of 32, taking on the six-seed Louisville Cardinals. The Spartans and Tom Izzo looked to get back to the Sweet 16 run after last year’s Elite Eight campaign, and entered off the strength of a 25-point win over the North Dakota State Bison.

Louisville, meanwhile, entered the game searching for their first Sweet 16 in over a decade. They also entered off of a squeaker of a win against the USF Bulls, who worked their way back into the game after being down by over 20.

In the end, the Spartans rode the good wave of momentum to send Tom Izzo into the second weekend in March for back-to-back years. Here are three takeaways from the contest.

1. Trey Fort III is peaking at the right time

Fort III is having a season that no one, not even Fort himself, could have predicted. The Samford transfer entered in as a starter and was projected to be the scoring threat for the Spartans after Jase Richardson left for the NBA Draft.

Instead, Fort has been a bench player that comes in late in games. Since the start of the New Year, Fort had only played more than 15 minutes in a game twice, with 17 minutes played over the final three games of the regular season.

Against UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament, Fort came in with eight points as the Spartans turned to him for a scoring threat. Those 13 minutes were not just a one-off, as he saw the court for 12 minutes against the North Dakota State Bison in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

However, he saved his best postseason performance yet for the Round of 32, with 12 points against the Cardinals as he powered MSU with massive threes, with all three makes becoming four-point swings as and-ones. Those 12 points were the third-most Fort has recorded this season.

Fort is becoming the wildcard for the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament, and he will be needed for when the Spartans take on the winner of the UConn-UCLA matchup on Sunday.

2. Coen Carr has reached a new level

Carr, for his second NCAA Tournament in a row, is stepping up his game to another level as the calendar turns to March. The Atlanta native recorded his first career double-double against the Cardinals, and was a pair of missed free throws away from hitting a career-high in points along with his first career 10-rebound game.

Carr is not just attacking the rim on his dunks, but the boards too. Against a Louisville team that was not afraid to shoot the three, Carr was a heat-seeking missile when the ball clanked out. One of his biggest plays came when the junior blocked a shot and proceeded to case down the ball and flip it out, which sparked a Jaxon Kohler breakaway attempt where he was flagrantly fouled, leading to another possession after Kohler’s free throws, where a Coen Carr offensive board led to a Kohler three. Carr’s efforts swung the game five points, without the junior adding a single point to his box score.

The human highlight real had plays that stood out on the stat sheet, too. Carr added a pair of dunks to force a Pat Kelsey and Louisville timeout to begin the second half.

To make things even sweeter, Carr added some corner threes to answer the one question on his outside game. Carr was aided by Jeremy Fears Jr. finding him nearly every time he was streaking to the basket. The All-American point guard continued his epic weekend dishing the ball, breaking Michigan State basketball’s official and unofficial records for assists in an NCAA Tournament game.

3. Spartan sharp shooting

In the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State basketball finally had the bounces and aim on their three-point shot. The Spartans have traditionally struggled in finding their rhythm beyond the arc, with only three games of 10-or-more made threes since the second part of conference play began in 2026 (which is a span of 18 games).

Their Saturday output of 11, combined with their 10 against North Dakota State and 11 against UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament, now give the Spartans three straight games with 10-or-more made shots from beyond the arc.

Part of this comes from activating Trey Fort, but the Spartans have seen Jordan Scott, Coen Carr, and Jaxon Kohler each find their own rhythm. Even Carson Cooper got in on the fun against Louisville, with his own made three being the second of his career.

This part of Michigan State’s game plan makes them more deadly as they advance to the second week of the tournament, as Tom Izzo’s squad can add some offense to pair with their lockdown defense that has returned to form in the first two games of the tournament.

When Jeremy Fears Jr. is added into the mix, after a weekend that saw him rank second-place for assists in an NCAA Tournament weekend, it is not a fun scout for opponents.

What is next for Michigan State basketball?

The Spartans head out to Washington D.C. for the Sweet 16, where they play the winner of 7-seed UCLA and 2-seed UConn, which takes place at 8:45 p.m. EST on Sunday. The Spartans and their next opponent will square off on Friday, March 27.