How many of you didn't sleep much on Thursday night knowing Michigan State basketball would open its 2025 NCAA Tournament run on Friday night against Bryant?
Now how many of you were in shambles when Michigan State found itself 5-0 to start the game? If you're anything like me, you probably thought your worst nightmares were becoming a reality. And then when it was 24-21 Bryant, it felt like the sky was falling. Then Michigan State did what it has seemingly done every time out this season: pull away in the second half.
Michigan State ran away with an 87-62 win, beating the confident Bulldogs soundly.
What did we learn from this fourth straight first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament?
1. Two words: Rebounding dominance
All week long, we heard all about how Bryant was one of the toughest rebounding teams at the mid-major level and the Spartans came out and made sure that trend didn't continue.
You could see that the theme all week at practice was "win the rebound battle" and they did just that by a laughable margin. Michigan State out-rebounded Bryant 54-29. Yes, you read that correctly, the Spartans grabbed 25 more rebounds than Bryant. And yes, this team was supposed to be elite on the glass and give Michigan State a battle.
Michigan State got back to the basics.
2. Coen Carr, Carson Cooper grew a lot
Coming off the bench, Carson Cooper and Coen Carr knew they had to give Michigan State a shot in the arm to get over its sluggish start. They both provided that spark, and then some.
While I could go on about Tre Holloman again, I have grown to expect this kind of play (14 points off the bench) from the star junior. However, Carr and Cooper looked the part of legit NCAA Tournament contender contributors. Not only did they contribute, both took over at points in this game.
Early on, it was Carr who took over, starting 5-for-5 from the floor with 13 points. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and a block. He grew a ton on Friday night.
And the same goes for Cooper. He's actually grown more than anyone on this team throughout the season. Coop has gone from lightly-used liability to heavily-utilized contributor off the bench. He finished with six big points and nine rebounds on Friday night. He, too, grew a ton.
3. The MSU we saw in the second half is a title favorite
Starting the game, you could tell that Michigan State was playing tense, speeding things up too much, and just playing Bryant's game. After about 15 minutes, the Spartans calmed down and finally played their game. However, they still only had a 5-point lead at the half.
The second half was all Michigan State, like always.
The Spartans were only up three after a quick bucket by Bryant but they then pulled away, building five, seven, and nine-point leads before pulling away for good in the middle of the second half, racing to a 20-plus-point lead before the final buzzer sounded.
The team we saw in the second half would be a favorite to win the national title. Imagine if we saw that team for 40 minutes. Elite play in the final 15, or so, minutes.