Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from second-half rout of Bryant

Michigan State basketball, after a brief scare, beat Bryant on the strength of a strong second half. There was no 15-seed upset happening on Friday. Michigan State came alive from three, and when they were not scoring triples, Coen Carr was dominating from up close. The Spartans did not survive and advance, they dominated and advanced.

What did we learn?

1. Sluggish start, even with the whistle

On Friday, every Michigan State basketball fan had flashbacks to MTSU. The most talented Izzo squad since 2019 (or 2020) came into a tournament game and gave up a 5-0 run to Bryant. Then, compounding things, the Spartans missed their first free throw of the night.

Thankfully, Jaden Akins helped stabilize the Spartans, hitting his second free throw and then a three to draw the Spartans close. Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Tre Holloman were able to then add a 6-0 MSU run in to nab the lead. Bryant remained pesky, with Raphael Pinzon hitting a logo three. Keyshawn Mitchell had his own three to give the Bulldogs a 24-21 lead, but, following back-to-back Coen Carr short-range shots (a dunk and a layup), MSU would not look back.

All of this came despite the Spartans getting the “friendly whistle”, if you will. Michigan State outshot Bryant 11-to-1 from the charity stripe. Worse yet, the Spartans could not capitalize on their 11 trips, only hitting six shots. Leaving five points on the table let this game be close at half, with the Spartans ahead 33-28.

2. Coen Carr, X-factor

In my article breaking down players with X-factor potential for the Spartans, the first player I listed was Coen Carr. Turns out, I may know ball. Carr was, at points, the only Spartan on offense for Michigan State in the first half. Carr put up 15 first-half points in 12 minutes, on an efficient 6-for-7 from the field. Better yet, Carr was the only Spartan to go to the line in the first half to make all his foul shots. He also added five rebounds in the first half, three of them on the offensive side.

Bryant had the length, but they were at an athletic disadvantage to Coen Carr. The sophomore took advantage of that. Despite giving up an inch or two to some of the lengthy Bryant players, his leaps put him a whole head above others on rebounds. This culminated in a double career high. Carr had 18 points and nine rebounds to rewrite his record books.

The best part of this? Coen Carr was not satisfied after the game. He lamented missing his first-ever 20-point collegiate outing and finishing one board shy of a double-double. That is the attitude of this team. They do not prioritize who starts, or their stat lines at the end of the night. The Spartans talk on what they can do better, and talk about their teammates’ success.

3. Three-point shooting comes alive, again

At the same time the Spartans slip at the foul line, the success from beyond the arc increases. Michigan State basketball was making it rain. The trinity of sharp shooters, Akins, Holloman, and Richardson, combined for nine triples.

Tre Holloman, in particular, was efficient. He was dishing the ball, with four assists, when he was not lighting up the Bulldogs. He finished 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and also drilled his only two free throws to finish with 14 points. That mark was third-best on the team. Holloman’s only miss from three was a positive for Michigan State basketball, too. Carson Cooper had a putback three with his offensive rebound of the shot.

Jaden Akins finished 2-for-10 from three, but his confidence did not waver. The senior is getting great looks, the ball is just not falling in the hoop. Tom Izzo talked on this post-game, calling it unfortunate with the looks Akins had.

Both of Akins’ threes came at clutch moments, however. Akins drilled a three, and that was immediately followed by a Jeremy Fears Jr. three to swing the MSU advantage by six. His other three was at the start of the game when Bryant looked to have all the momentum.

Jase Richardson “quietly” lit the Bulldogs up for three triples, as well. The freshman only shot four from beyond the arc, again showing his mindful approach to shooting. Izzo has stated that Richardson talks on his own bad shots. Tom Izzo quipped that besides Jase, he does not think many freshmen believe that they have bad shots. Richardson is an advanced player, and that efficiency is going to make an NBA team extremely happy soon.

One of those that impressed me was the possession where I really called the game over. Jaden Akins missed two great looks in a row, following an offensive board. The next miss was yet another MSU board and kicked out to Richardson, who buried the Bulldogs. Bryant had fought back to within six, and Richardson made it nine. They never got within seven the rest of the game.

The mark of 10 triples was the second-highest output by the Spartans in a season this year. Additionally, their three-point percentage was hovering in the 40s until a pair of misses in garbage time by Kur Teng and Gehrig Normand resulted in ‘only’ a 38.5% output on Friday.

What’s next?

The Spartans march on in Cleveland and will remain the home team for the regional. They face the South Region’s 10-seed, New Mexico. The Lobos powered by Marquette in the game before the Spartans took the court. A familiar face leads them to Spartan fans, Richard Pitino. What could go wrong?

That game will tip at 8:45 p.m. ET on Sunday night. Tom Izzo’s live reaction to hearing that was to put his head in his hands and then quip, “Well, it is an hour earlier than tonight.”