Coach K Drops Praise for Michigan State's Fears, Carr

The legendary head coach likes what he sees from the Spartans and two of their players.

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Former Duke Blue Devils men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Mickie Krzyzewski and Duke University president Vincent Price look on during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Division I college basketball's all-time winningest coach is liking what he's seeing from the Spartans.

On Monday, former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN, where he was asked about his thoughts on the first weekend of NCAA Tournament action. Third-seeded Michigan State handled (14) North Dakota State in the first round, 92-67, and then bested (6) Louisville in the second round, 77-69.

Nov 11, 2025; West Point, New York, USA; Former Duke Blue Devils and Army head coach Mike Krzyzewski watches a game between the Army Black Knights and Duke Blue Devils at Christl Arena. | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

"The other team that really impressed me was Michigan State," Krzyzewski said. "Although Tom [Izzo's] teams impress me all the time."

"Coach K," a five-time national champion with 13 Final Four appearances, also gave some shoutouts to MSU's Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr.

Krzyzewski on Fears

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. looks on during the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Louisville at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

"That kid, Fears, was amazing," Krzyzewski said. "I think he had 16, 17 assists [against Louisville]. He just made play after play."

Fears had 16 assists against the Cardinals, but he also had 11 in the first-round game against NDSU (he could've had more if he'd really wanted). He had already surpassed Cassius Winston for the most assists in a season in Michigan State history, but Fears ended up surpassing Magic Johnson for the most assists in a single NCAA Tournament game in program history, too.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. drives to the basket against North Dakota State during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Another fun stat is that there have been only five instances of a Michigan State player recording at least 15 assists in a game. Fears has three of those games from just this season. We'll just have to see if he can ever catch Mateen Cleaves' single-game record of 20.

Entering MSU's Sweet Sixteen matchup with UConn, Fears is averaging 9.4 assists per game, the highest number in the entire country.

Coach K on Carr

Michigan State's Coen Carr peers over at the Louisville defense during the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Carr is coming off probably the best game of his collegiate career against the Cardinals. The junior athletic freak dropped his first-ever double-double with the Spartans, going for 21 points and 10 rebounds. He got his trademark dunks in, but Carr also was as aggressive as ever on defense and on the glass, and was just an all-around force that probably made the largest difference in that game.

"He's been a solid, unbelievable player for them, but he's now taken it up to another level," Krzyzewski said. "Not just in jumping. He's hitting his shots. For me, he's made a big jump, and he's already a really good player."

Honing in that three-point shot and using his all-world athleticism on the glass are the two big places where improvement makes Carr a great player, rather than a good player. His three-point percentage has dropped a bit this year, but the volume has gone way up, indicating it's something that hopefully just has to come with time and practice.

The rebounding is something MSU would love to see more of. Carr is already a decent rebounder at 5.5 per game, but his gift of simply being able to jump higher than literally everyone else makes it a little surprising that it took until March of his junior year to get a double-digit rebounding game.

Michigan State's Coen Carr watches a free throw go up during a game against North Dakota State during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI