Michigan State stomps NDSU, advances to second round
· Yahoo Sports
As soon as the ball was tipped, it was an instant back-and-forth battle. Jeremy Fears and Jordan Scott had two early contested midrange jumpers that I didn’t like as they needed to be more patient to find a better shot. The offense was driven by a Jaxon Kohler three and a nice pass from Coen Carr to Carson Cooper for a two-handed dunk. North Dakota State would take an 8-7 over the Spartans at the first TV timeout.
Trey Fort saw early minutes off the bench along with Cam Ward and Kur Teng. The defense ramped up and Michigan State created a 9-0 run thanks to finishes at the rim from Cooper and Ward. Fort came around an off-ball screen and drilled an and-one top of the key three while Kohler followed it up with another of his own to give MSU a 21-10 lead.
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Denham Wojcik even got in on the fun with a pair of layups to continue extending the MSU lead, but back-to-back NDSU threes brought it within seven for the Bisons. After a Kur Teng corner three, Fears found Cooper in transition for an and-one alley oop to give Michigan State a 31-18 lead with six minutes left in the half.
Cam Ward’s energy was apparent throughout the first half. His effort on defense was noticeable and he was rewarded in transition with finishes at the basket. The whole team looked great defensively and they were getting great offensive looks due to the shots and turnovers they were forcing on defense. The end of the first half was highlighted by Fears lob to Carr who finished it over multiple Bison defenders to give MSU a 20-point lead. The Spartans would head into the locker room at halftime up on NDSU 45-25.
Michigan State was led by Cooper with 14 first half points on only four shots. Cam ward added eight points and Kohler had six points and six rebounds. Fears played 16 first half minutes and had two points, two rebounds, and nine assists. MSU shot 55% from the field and 40% from three while NDSU shot 33% and 13%, respectively.
The scoring machine that is Carson Cooper continued his offensive punch in the second half with a right-handed hammer in the lane followed by a midrange jumper. Jordan Scott was able to find Carr for a two-handed dunk and Cooper threw a steamer to Fears for a corner three that put MSU up 61-35 with fifteen minutes left.
NDSU had no answers for Michigan State down low. The next few possessions featured dunks from Carr and Ward, along with an attempted dunk from Cooper that still managed to go in. Kohler and Scott each knocked down three-pointers to maintain MSU’s 25-point lead. Tom Izzo called a timeout after a couple of consecutive NDSU buckets and Michigan State led 76-56 with six minutes left.
North Dakota State was able to get it within 16 as they were able to go on a bit of run with a few minutes still left on the clock, but another Carr dunk followed by a Carr three put the deficit above 20 again. Izzo was able to empty the bench late and a Jesse McCullough three put Michigan State into the 90s. They’d go on to beat NDSU 92-67.
This was as complete of a game we’ve seen out of Michigan State so far this season. They didn’t have to rely on halfcourt offense with the pressure they were providing on defense, but they were still able to get efficient looks when they weren’t running in transition. MSU had 26 total assists setting a new team record for assists in an NCAA tournament game.
Carson Cooper was your top scorer with 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. He was incredibly efficient and finished strong at the rim whether he was catching lobs or looking to overpower defenders in the air. Forwards Coen Carr and Cam Ward combined for a whole lot of dunks – together, they shot 12-for-14 from the field and had 30 points combined. Kohler had 12 points including three made three-pointers while Fears added seven points and 11 assists.
If Michigan State plays like that all tournament, a Final Four is in their future. We’ll see how they look on Saturday when they matchup with #6 Louisville with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
Go Green.