Michigan State basketball: It’s time for Carson Cooper to start

A few months back, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo spoke to the media following a win over Oregon. Freshman phenom Jase Richardson had made his first career start, going off for 29 points in front of his dad and the 2000 National Championship team. When the media and press asked the Hall of Fame coach if that could be the move going forward, Izzo said that there was “no quarterback controversy”, implying no changes.

That was not entirely correct, as Richardson replaced junior point guard and captain Tre Holloman in the starting five. While Holloman still averages over 22 minutes a night and has hit some big shots, Richardson has exploded in his starting role.

That brings us to the dilemma facing Michigan State basketball now. Should Tom Izzo tinker with the lineup for the first time in nearly 10 games? I think so. I think Carson Cooper deserves extended action for his playing time. It may not be a quarterback controversy, but, in football terms, we may have a left tackle controversy.

The case for Carson Cooper

Alliteration aside, Carson Cooper has consistently been the best five option since January. Behind Jaxon Kohler, who starts at the four spot, Cooper has been the best big. While Coen Carr challenges Cooper for the role of second-best big some nights, Carr is a player who would have to play the four, due to his size (6-foot-5), and bump Kohler from his natural spot. That will not happen considering Kohler’s ability on the glass and shooting. The staff would be hard-pressed to bump Kohler from his natural spot and role.

Cooper has been widely praised as the best ball-screen defender by Izzo dating back to when I first began media coverage in December 2023, but the center’s offense has taken a huge step up this year. Saddi Washington has turned Carson Cooper into a semi-legitimate threat in the paint. Considering that Cooper and Mady Sissoko (who has since transferred to Cal) were criticized as “black holes” on offense by the fanbase last year, that is quite the turnaround.

Cooper floundered in his first eight career starts last season. As I will establish, however, he is a brand-new Cooper this year. Every single number on Carson’s stat sheet has improved.

Recently, we have seen Cooper making crazy plays. He hit a Dirk Nowitzki-esque shot against Purdue and made a miraculous play in the Big Ten Tournament to beat the shot clock and give the Spartans a bucket. Those “wow” plays are more than just a flash in the pan. Cooper has been the best center.

Looking at the stats

Heading into this season, Cooper had recorded over eight points in a game three times in his career that spanned 65 games. Last Saturday marked the sixth time Cooper has hit that mark in this season alone. Zapala has also hit eight points or more six times, but four of those were Monmouth, Samford, Minnesota, and Western Michigan.

As far as rebounding goes, Cooper is ahead in a landslide. Cooper has recorded eight rebounds (or more) seven times since Big Ten play resumed in January. Meanwhile, the last time Zapala recorded eight or more rebounds was on Dec. 30 against Western Michigan.

On the foul stripe, Cooper is also the clear choice. Not only does he get to the line more often (Cooper averages 2.2 attempts per game to Zapala’s 1.4, without counting his four trips to the line against Wisconsin), but he shoots at a clip that is nearly seven percent better than Zapala, as well. Cooper has also made each of his last eight trips to the stripe, along with having a streak of 13 in a row earlier in the season.

As for the minute distribution, you might ask? The last time Zapala played more minutes than Cooper was Jan. 12 against Northwestern. Cooper has seen the court for more minutes in each of the last 17 games.

This pattern of minute distribution changing was one we saw before Richardson eventually made his way into the starting lineup. Richardson was always among the top two guards in minutes played, with Izzo starting three guards per night.

To be fair, and to be clear

Now, this is to not say that Zapala should be benched and removed from the lineup entirely. He is a player that provides good defense and can score. I would be remiss to not mention his 15-point outing that powered the Spartans past Ohio State on Jan. 3. Likewise, Michigan State basketball has a nailbiter against Purdue if it was not for his nine-point outing on Feb. 18. In that same stretch, Zapala’s seven points helped make the difference against Maryland on Feb. 26. By all means, Zapala should be a player coming off the bench to provide clutch minutes and crucial plays.

This is a testimony to how much Cooper has improved. He, alongside fellow big men Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr, are my three most improved players on the Spartans this season.

Also, this is not me stating this due to the Michigan State basketball winning streak being over. Cooper has elevated his game. The center is averaging six points per game since the second contest against Minnesota on Jan. 28. He had only hit the six-point mark six times in the first 19 games of the season.

In the Big Ten Tournament, Carson Cooper cemented it for me. With Kohler missing long stretches and Zapala being shoved into a locker by the Wisconsin bigs, Cooper stepped up. He hit all four of his shots from the stripe, had three offensive boards, and led the team with an elite +15 mark in +/-. This came the night after Cooper played 19 minutes and recorded six points.

I also believe part of this equation is the wear and tear weighing on Zapala. He has not played the physical competition like the Big Ten for a full season until this year. As his minutes decrease, Cooper has seen the court more, and the junior has flourished.

A move like this could also be a spark for Zapala, as the shift in workload can let the Polack thrive and capitalize on his offensive production. The multi-center set by Tom Izzo’s squad has not been an eyesore for me this season, either. Last year, the Sissoko-Cooper combination did not garner rave reviews. At points this season, I have found myself calling for it. With a fresher Zapala, I think this could make a difference in the tournament.

One final disclaimer

I am not a coach, Tom Izzo has forgotten more basketball than I will know in my lifetime. I am a person with a laptop who has watched this team all season. For a testimony to how much I do not know ball, if you had told me that I wanted Cooper to start in March at the start of the year, I would assume things had gone much, much, much worse.

I will not be mad if the NCAA Tournament rolls on next week and No. 10 is receiving the start. I would welcome it. Zapala has done an excellent job winning the jump ball and occasionally opening the scoring for the Spartans this season. However, Cooper’s play in the last two months has told me that it is time for No. 15 to be the one receiving the starting honor.

One final note: how blessed are we to be debating the starting center on a 27-6 squad that earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament? If that is our biggest debate and complaint, then we are extremely well off.

Tom Izzo and Co. have everything under control. I have no worries no matter what lineup starts next week.