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BUFFALO, NY – When Coen Carr soars, heads turn and jaws drop.
When the Michigan State basketball high-flyer does what he did in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, everyone takes notice.
“55, God bless him,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said Saturday, March 21. “He played a heck of a game. He's above the rim, dunks it sideways, lobs. When he's banging two 3s and that one right in front of their bench, that was freaking huge. You've got to give him credit.”
Give Carr his first career double-double, and give him a second straight trip to the Sweet 16 in the process as well.
Carr tied his personal best with 21 points and set a new one with 10 rebounds in the 3-seed Spartans’ 77-69 victory over the 6-seed Cardinals in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Arena. Carr hit 8 of 13 shots, adding two blocks and a steal for perhaps his most complete performance of his three seasons in green and white.
“Just to be in March Madness, one of the greatest stages on Earth, and to have a game like this, I just credit it to my coaches, my teammates, just for always believing in me,” Carr said. “They want me to go out there and be aggressive, and that's what I tried to focus on today.”
It wasn’t just the dunks, either, though Carr delivered his typical jolt of electricity to the crowd with a pair of alley-oops from Jeremy Fears Jr., as well as a thunderous tomahawk in transition. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward played a power post game as well, attacking in the paint for three layups, one of which turned into a three-point play during MSU’s 16-6 takeover in the second half.
“That was the Coen we’d seen all summer, the Coen coming in,” said Fears, who assisted on six of Carr’s baskets as part of the point guard’s MSU NCAA Tournament record 16 assists. “It was a little up and down, obviously, throughout this whole year. He had some really good games, and then he had some where he was OK. But Coen showed himself.
“He's been putting in time on his free throws, his shooting. His defense was something that me and him talked about – like, in order for our team and us to take another step, that we needed to take our defense to another level. And I think today he answered the bell.”
Izzo also applauded Carr, who helped him get to his 17th Sweet 16 during his 28th straight NCAA appearance. He called it “an incredible day” for his still-developing star, particularly with having to guard Louisville star Ryan Conwell for much of it.
MORE: As Jeremy Fears Jr. lifts his game, Michigan State raises expectations
“Coen Carr played like the player we've all been waiting for,” the 31st-year Hall of Fame coach said.
Carr said he realized he had a good shot at getting at least 10 rebounds when he had seven at halftime. He also had two late free throws with a chance to set a new career scoring high but clanked both, his only two misses at the line in five attempts. And he added that he knew he was right on the verge of doing so.
“I was pretty pissed off,” Carr said of the misses.
But otherwise, he felt like he played aggressive from start to finish. And Carr said he let his defense and rebounding elevate his offensive performance. And he realizes that if he can bottle that mindset and take it with the Spartans to Washington next week, starting Friday against either 2-seed Connecticut or 7-seed UCLA, that the Spartans would likely have a good chance to win another game. Or two, which would get Izzo and MSU back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019.
“It means a lot. It’s always great to win a game in March,” Carr said. “So being able to go the second weekend for the second year in a row is amazing.”
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Coen Carr peaking at right time as Michigan State soars into Sweet 16
Continue reading...
When the Michigan State basketball high-flyer does what he did in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, everyone takes notice.
“55, God bless him,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said Saturday, March 21. “He played a heck of a game. He's above the rim, dunks it sideways, lobs. When he's banging two 3s and that one right in front of their bench, that was freaking huge. You've got to give him credit.”
Give Carr his first career double-double, and give him a second straight trip to the Sweet 16 in the process as well.
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Carr tied his personal best with 21 points and set a new one with 10 rebounds in the 3-seed Spartans’ 77-69 victory over the 6-seed Cardinals in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Arena. Carr hit 8 of 13 shots, adding two blocks and a steal for perhaps his most complete performance of his three seasons in green and white.
“Just to be in March Madness, one of the greatest stages on Earth, and to have a game like this, I just credit it to my coaches, my teammates, just for always believing in me,” Carr said. “They want me to go out there and be aggressive, and that's what I tried to focus on today.”
It wasn’t just the dunks, either, though Carr delivered his typical jolt of electricity to the crowd with a pair of alley-oops from Jeremy Fears Jr., as well as a thunderous tomahawk in transition. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward played a power post game as well, attacking in the paint for three layups, one of which turned into a three-point play during MSU’s 16-6 takeover in the second half.
“That was the Coen we’d seen all summer, the Coen coming in,” said Fears, who assisted on six of Carr’s baskets as part of the point guard’s MSU NCAA Tournament record 16 assists. “It was a little up and down, obviously, throughout this whole year. He had some really good games, and then he had some where he was OK. But Coen showed himself.
“He's been putting in time on his free throws, his shooting. His defense was something that me and him talked about – like, in order for our team and us to take another step, that we needed to take our defense to another level. And I think today he answered the bell.”
Izzo also applauded Carr, who helped him get to his 17th Sweet 16 during his 28th straight NCAA appearance. He called it “an incredible day” for his still-developing star, particularly with having to guard Louisville star Ryan Conwell for much of it.
MORE: As Jeremy Fears Jr. lifts his game, Michigan State raises expectations
“Coen Carr played like the player we've all been waiting for,” the 31st-year Hall of Fame coach said.
Carr said he realized he had a good shot at getting at least 10 rebounds when he had seven at halftime. He also had two late free throws with a chance to set a new career scoring high but clanked both, his only two misses at the line in five attempts. And he added that he knew he was right on the verge of doing so.
“I was pretty pissed off,” Carr said of the misses.
You must be registered for see images attach
But otherwise, he felt like he played aggressive from start to finish. And Carr said he let his defense and rebounding elevate his offensive performance. And he realizes that if he can bottle that mindset and take it with the Spartans to Washington next week, starting Friday against either 2-seed Connecticut or 7-seed UCLA, that the Spartans would likely have a good chance to win another game. Or two, which would get Izzo and MSU back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019.
“It means a lot. It’s always great to win a game in March,” Carr said. “So being able to go the second weekend for the second year in a row is amazing.”
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Coen Carr peaking at right time as Michigan State soars into Sweet 16
Continue reading...
