Michigan State senior guard Jaden Akins (3) slam dunks against Bryant at Rocket Arena in Cleveland on March 21, 2025. The Spartans defeated the Bulldogs 87-62, advancing to the round of 32 during March Madness.
In its opening act of March Madness, No. 2 seed Michigan State University basketball took a moment to find its footing — then found everything it needed.
The Spartans beat No. 15 seed Bryant at its own game, 87-62, playing in the open floor and crashing the glass until the Bulldogs ran out of fuel.
MSU weathered an early storm of nerves, poor shooting and unforced errors, settled in, leaned on its depth and rode the early spark of sophomore Coen Carr to a dominant 25-point win in front of a buzzing MSU fan contingent in Cleveland.
"We got to do a better job," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said postgame. "But the biggest thing is the first game of the tournament. For all 27 years I’ve been in it, all the Big Ten Tournaments, any other tournament I’ve ever been in — the first game is the most important."
Five Spartans finished in double figures. Carr finished with 18 points — 13 in the first half — and nine rebounds on 7-for-10 shooting. Freshman guard Jase Richardson hit three of four from deep en route to scoring 15 points, 10 in the second half.
"Coen ignited us on offense, especially when things weren’t going our way," freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. said. "He got a lot of offensive rebounds, tip dunks, fouls. He just was a big piece in getting this win today and helping us pull away."
Junior guard Tre Holloman shot 4-for-5 from three and notched 14 points. Senior guard Jaden Akins and Fears Jr. tallied 11. Junior forward Jaxon Kohler’s nine rebounds played a major role in MSU’s taking over the rebounding battle as it out-toughed Bryant down the stretch.
Even without their sharpest edge early on, the Spartans are headed to the Round of 32, where they lost last season to No. 1 seed North Carolina.
Michigan State will face No. 10 seed New Mexico at 8:40 p.m. Sunday in Cleveland. TNT will air the game.
The Lobos (25-6) won the Mountain West outright, led by 6-foot-2 junior guard Donovan Dent, the conference player of the year, who scored 21 points and dished out six assists in their first-round win over No. 7 seed Marquette on Friday. Senior center Nelly Junior Joseph scored 13 of his 19 total points in the second half and guided New Mexico to a winning effort on the glass.
Dent, who averaged 20.9 points per game in the regular season, will test Michigan State’s backcourt, with Joseph — who averaged 14.4 points and 11.9 rebounds — providing New Mexico’s interior presence.
A win would send the Spartans to their second Sweet 16 appearance in three years and 16th overall under Izzo. They’re 15-6 in the Round of 32 during his tenure.
Michigan State will have less than 48 hours to prepare for a first-time meeting with one of the country’s most notable mid-major teams.
Carr calms the nerves, lifts MSU out of early tension
From the opening jump, Bryant played like a team with nothing to lose. Fittingly so. The No. 15 seed Bulldogs played just one high-major opponent before Friday — St. John’s — and surrendered 99 points. But that was in early December.
On Friday, they opened with poise, pace and physicality, putting an MSU team still trying to feel things out on its heels.
MSU missed its first four shots as Bryant started up 5-0, struggled from the free-throw line and trailed for much of the opening 12 minutes. It started tense and disjointed — far from the version of the Spartans that won eight of their last nine games.
"They came out and punched us right in the mouth. Hit some shots early, got some rebounds early, turned us over," Izzo said.
Then came Carr. In waves.
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In a flash, the athletic sophomore entered the game and changed its rhythm on both ends. Carr hit a pull-up jumper from the elbow. He played the middle man against Bryant’s zone, got the ball and spun to his left hand for a layup through traffic. He hammered home offensive rebound dunks, ran the floor, finished through contact and gave MSU the energy it needed to settle in.
By halftime, Carr led all scorers on 5-for-5 shooting, grabbing five rebounds — three of them offensive.
"I was just trying to be aggressive and run my lane," Carr said. "(The coaches) had me playing the five a little bit for a second, so I had to run my lane, near the rim … I just feel like I get to make those plays, and my teammates feed off them every time. So I just try to keep doing that. And I feel like that’s kind of my job on this team."
MSU closed the half on a 12-4 run to take a 33-28 lead with Carr leading the way.
Momentum into Sunday
The Spartans talked all week about chemistry and their shared hunger. It showed up late in their first brush with true win-or-go-home basketball.
MSU imposed its will for the second half’s final 18 minutes, out-rebounding Bryant by a staggering plus-18 (29-11) margin in the frame and suffocating the Bulldogs into low-percentage looks. MSU’s depth, physicality and transition game overpowered a Bryant team that plays just seven deep. Once foul trouble and fatigue set in, the Bulldogs had little left to throw back against an MSU group that has primarily won games in the second half over the past month.
It was the same pattern as Bryant’s losses to NCAA Tournament teams this season: early belief, flashes of confidence, then a slow unraveling.
Friday was no different. By the under-eight media timeout, the Spartans’ lead was 16 points at 65-49. Four minutes later, it was 81-57. MSU defended, rebounded and ran its way to control — and into Sunday.
