Michigan State basketball: Coen Carr shines in exhibition loss to Tennessee

In the most anticipated exhibition game in Michigan State basketball history, athletic freshman Coen Carr shined.

Given the current status of the football program along with one of the most talented rosters of Tom Izzo’s tenure, the Michigan State basketball charity exhibition game against Tennessee was highly anticipated by the fanbase.

Spartan Nation needed something good and they got it on Sunday via Freshman Coen Carr. We shouldn’t feel bad losing to a top-10 team by one in an exhibition game and seeing Carr shine certainly outweighs the final score. He’s a human highlight reel.

Coen Carr is just a freshman, but he's a highlight machine. 😲@Coencarr2 x @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/4SkFRWvFX4

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 29, 2023

Nine points and four rebounds in 16 min played won’t catch your eye if you didn’t watch the game. By just looking at the box score, Carr’s stats leave you feeling ‘meh’ but his true impact on the game was sensational logging a team-best plus-minus of +22. His energy and athleticism are game-changing. We are looking at a generational athlete.

It’s clear that MSU head coach Tom Izzo feels that Carr must be on the court as much as possible. Between the scrimmage against Hillsdale and the exhibition versus Tennessee, we’ve seen Carr at both the three and the four. Based on his athleticism, Izzo could even run him at the five if he needs to.

When Big Ten play starts, we will likely see him the most at the four.

Carr was the recruit in the 2023 class I was most intrigued by coming into this year. Known for his highlight reel dunks and ability to jump out of the gym, I wasn’t sure how it would all translate to college – Sunday was certainly a good start.

Carr needs to work on his jumper. I’m sure that will come with time – there is no way you can be that athletic and not be able to improve that part of his game. Some good coaching and jump shot work and we could be looking at a potential future lottery pick.

MSU kicks off the season on Nov. 6 against James Madison. Izzo’s run for his second national title starts in seven days.

With love,
UrbzMan