MSU Insiders Break Down Team's March Madness Win over Louisville
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BUFFALO, N.Y. --- It's on to the Sweet Sixteen for Michigan State.
The third-seeded Spartans bested (6) Louisville on Saturday, 77-69, during the second round of the NCAA Tournament to reach the second weekend for the second consecutive year. Coen Carr had his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Fears Jr. set a program record for assists in a March Madness game, dishing out 16 of them.
This is Tom Izzo's 17th Sweet Sixteen as the head coach at MSU. Excluding 2020, when the tournament was canceled, Michigan State has been among the final 16 teams in the nation 56.7% of the time under his leadership. The next phase is beating either (2) UConn or (7) UCLA, reaching the Elite Eight, and then getting Izzo a potential ninth Final Four.
Here is what a couple of Spartan insiders had to say about the Spartans' advancement on Saturday:
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What's Next for MSU
One nice thing for Michigan State is that it is going to have one more day of rest than its next opponent. UConn and UCLA are set to face off in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The time of the Spartans' next game is not yet known, but we do know that next weekend's festivities in Washington, D.C., where the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds are being held in the East Region, will officially start on Friday. Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards, is the place where MSU upset Duke in 2019 to reach its most recent Final Four.
Michigan State looks like a team that can do it again. The Spartans have multiple players who are playing their best basketball of the season right now. Fears had some preventable turnovers on Saturday and had a bit of an off shooting night, but that didn't stop him from contributing in a big way with his passing. Carr had the best game of his collegiate career on Saturday. Trey Fort is suddenly coming off the bench, knocking down threes, and is playing better defense.
What's also interesting is that MSU will be relatively familiar with whichever team it faces next. The Spartans faced UConn in an exhibition game way back in October. They also split a pair of games against the Bruins, losing the most recent one in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament. Whether it's Dan Hurley or Mick Cronin next weekend, it'll be an interesting challenge.
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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