It wasn’t easy, but Michigan State gutted its way to a second straight Sweet 16 with a 77-69 win over Louisville in the second round.
The win was somewhat expected when Louisville announced that second-leading scorer Mikel Brown Jr. would miss the game. The Cardinals didn’t just roll over, however. They gave Michigan State all it could handle, keeping it within 10 points for most of the game.
Michigan State would eventually deal a couple of knockout punches late to punch that Sweet 16 ticker for a second straight season.
Let’s check out the final report card from the Louisville win.
Jeremy Fears Jr.: B+
Is it crazy to give Jeremy Fears anything less than an A after he broke the single-game assists record during an NCAA Tournament game at Michigan State? He would tell you that he doesn’t deserve an A after he turned the ball over five times, went 3-for-13 from the floor, and missed two free throws.
If this was just about defense and passing, Fears would get an A+, but his shooting and was off and he was responsible for several questionable turnovers.
Still, a B+ game for him is an A+ for about 99.9% of players.
Coen Carr: A
Coen Carr played arguably his best game as a Spartan against Louisville, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. He was 8-of-13 from the floor and 2-for-4 from deep. If there’s anyone who deserves flowers for their performance on Saturday, it’s Carr. The disrespect he still gets about having “no game” is insane, so he decided to silence his doubters.
Through two games, Carr looks like a monster, averaging 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 14-of-21 (67 percent) from the floor and 3-for-5 from deep.
Carson Cooper: B
This wasn’t one of Carson Cooper‘s best games. He didn’t have a major impact offensively, but he was solid on the defensive end. The Cardinals weren’t getting anything easy in the paint. Cooper had nine points, five rebounds, a block, and a steal, but he turned the ball over three times. Everyone is allowed to have a quiet game every now and then.
Jaxon Kohler: B
Tom Izzo talked about his bigs getting off to kind of a slow start, and they did. Jaxon Kohler didn’t have his best game, but even when he’s not completely on his game, he’s still a plus player. He had just 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes, shooting 3-for-9 from the floor. Kohler did have two big threes and, like Cooper, played well on the defensive end.
Jordan Scott: B-
Not a bad game for Jordan Scott, but he wasn’t quite himself. He was 2-for-4 from the floor with four points and he grabbed two rebounds and blocked two shots, but he was kind of hidden for most of the game. I liked what I saw from him defensively, but MSU is going to need more from him on the offensive end. If he was his normal self, Michigan State beats Louisville by 15 — the same could be said for any of these starters in the B-range.
Trey Fort: A
We’re going to refer to the second-round win over Louisville as the “Trey Fort game” from now on. That’s how good the senior transfer from Samford was against Louisville on Saturday afternoon, scoring 12 huge points off the bench and going 3-for-3 from the free throw line. While he’s in there to score, he didn’t just do that, he also grabbed five rebounds and had an assist and a steal. He has been fantastic through two tournament games.
Cam Ward: B-
Cam Ward is getting a B- only because he was kind of a ghost. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because that means he’s not making mistakes, but he also didn’t provide much of a punch on the offensive end. He had just two points and two rebounds but he hasn’t missed a single shot in his first NCAA Tournament thus far.
Kur Teng: B+
Seeing Kur Teng shoot with confidence is a beautiful thing. The sophomore guard has gained so much confidence this season and it’s showing with his numbers continuing to improve. He had just seven points, but he was 2-for-4 from deep and was really effective offensively.