Michigan State basketball blew past No. 15 seed Bryant to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
---> Michigan State basketball stomps Bryant to advance to second round of NCAA Tournament
Here are four takeaways from the game.
What was said at halftime?!
To start the game, the team making its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament went toe-to-toe with the No. 2 seed. Bryant got off to a fast start, and put up a fight in the first 20 minutes against Michigan State.
MSU built some momentum before the break, but a completely different team came out of that locker room. A 5 point halftime leading turned into a 25 point win.
“Coach said we were getting punked,” Michigan State guard Tre Holloman told Local 4. “Michigan State doesn’t get punked. We just came out, got some stops, rebounded and we got out and ran. You know, Spartan basketball.”
Being this high of a seed is new territory for this roster. This was their reminder that they will get every team’s best shot.
“We’re not cocky in anything, but we’ve got to do this in every game in those last eight games to win a Big Ten championship.” Tom Izzo said. “We know what it’s like to show up every night, and we’ll have to do better.”
Coen Carr the driving force
Coen Carr said knew he need to give his team a spark. He provided a fire for the Spartans the moment he entered the lineup on Friday night.
Carr put up career highs with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
“I saw my team coming out flat, and I did not want my team to lose today,” Carr said of his performance. “I’m just doing everything I can to help my team advance.”
It’s one thing to have that type of performance in the regular season. To do that in the NCAA Tournament gives his entire team confidence heading into the Round of 32.
“He came out and he brought us some energy when we needed,” Jeremy Fears told Local 4. “That’s the best about Michigan State, you never know whose night it might be.”
Strength in Numbers
Friday’s game against Bryant was another chapter of what’s been a story all season. Michigan State’s ability to wear teams down deeper in games with their depth.
“There’s so many different lineups that we have,” Carson Cooper told Local 4. “There’s no drop off.”
MSU’s bench provided 46 of their points against Bryant. The Bulldogs’ non-starters had only eight points.
“We’ve got our strength in numbers motto,” Tre Holloman told Local 4. “We got two starting fives. We just went out there and got the job done.”
Bryant was one of the best rebounding teams in Division 1 this year, but Michigan State asserted their dominance on the glass. The Spartans grabbed 54 rebounds against the Bulldogs, that was a season-high for Michigan State.
Their defense also locked down, too. Bryant shot 37.1% from the field after averaging 45.7% per game this year. The Bulldogs’ 82 points per game this year was 16th in the NCAA. They put up 62 against MSU, their second fewest in a game this year.
Depth, defense and rebounding can go a long way in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State showed it has all of the above.
Jase’s Tournament Debut
Since he entered the starting lineup, Jase Richardson has been the fuel to make the Spartans go to end the regular season.
The freshman played his first NCAA Tournament game on Friday night. It took some time to settle in, but Richardson found his form as the game went on. Richardson finished with 15 points, scoring 10 in the second half.
“We were kind of sloppy, but once we got going that’s everything you want in a tournament,” Richardson said.
Michigan State has shown that any player can show up on any night. If they will make a deep run, look for Richardson to be their constant after finding his form during his debut.
“The whole week we were saying the first game is going to be the hardest,” Richardson said. “Coach (Izzo) brought back the Middle Tennessee State game that he was part of. I remember watching that game, I remember how horrific that loss was because it felt like the world ended. Having that in the back of our minds and remembering that everybody is trying to knock us off is big for us.”