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Coen Carr puts on show, leads Michigan State past Louisville, into Sweet 16
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- Coen Carr puts on show, leads Michigan State past Louisville, into Sweet 16
BUFFALO, NY — Michigan State is headed back to the Sweet 16.
Coen Carr had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the No. 3 Spartans beat No. 6 Louisville 77-69 in the second round of the East region to book a trip into the second weekend for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo.
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Michigan State will next face the winner of Sunday's matchup between No. 2 Connecticut and No. 7 UCLA.
Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had 12 points and 16 assists for Michigan State. Forward Jaxon Kohler had 10 points and 6 rebounds. Guard Trey Fort (12 points) also scored in double figures.
Louisville was led by Ryan Conwell 's 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Adrian Wooley added 17 points and 4 rebounds.
After an early feeling-out period, the Spartans took a 19-12 lead with 11:55 to go in the first half after Kohler nailed a 3-pointer and a short jumper. At this point, 10 of Louisville's 14 attempts from the field were from deep, with two makes.
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While not able to get their own transition game working, some good ball movement in the halfcourt set helped the Spartans hang on for a 36-31 halftime lead. MSU had 12 assists on 13 made field goals and was shooting 46.4% from the field, though the offense was hampered by nine turnovers.
Michigan State forward Coen Carr (55) drives the ball against the Louisville defense during the second round of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Keybank Center.
Louisville made just 12 of its 36 attempts in the first half, including 4 of 18 from deep, but was able to capitalize with nine points off MSU turnovers.
Louisville close within 50-47 eight minutes into the second half thanks to a corner 3 by 7-foot center Aly Khalifa. The Spartans responded with a 3 of their own by Fort, who went 3 of 5 from behind the arc, to lead 53-47 with 10 minutes left. The Spartans went into this final stretch having led for nearly 28 of the game's 30 minutes.
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The Cardinals and Spartans would continue to trade defensive stands for about the next two minutes, with a 3 by Wooley leaving MSU in front 55-50 with 8:20 left.
But in a crucial sequence, MSU would take its first double-digit lead since going ahead 22-12 in the first half after Louisville big man Vangelis Zougris was called for flagrant foul while trying to block a Kohler layup attempt.
Kohler would make both free throws and then hit a 3 from the wing on the ensuing possession, putting the Spartans up 63-50 with 6:41 to play. This came amid a cold spell for the Cardinals, who scored only 3 points in a five-minute span.
MSU then slowed down its offensive pace while Louisville trimmed the lead to single digits at 68-59 on another Khalifa make from beyond the arc. But the Cardinals were unable to get over the hump thanks in part to the Spartans' success at the free-throw line.
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MSU made four in a row from the line to keep Louisville at bay and delivered a punctuation mark on an alley-oop from Fears to Cooper with 1:54 left to lead 72-59.
In addition to 17 Sweet 16 appearances, the Izzo-led Spartans have made eight Final Four trips and reached two national championship games, winning it all in 2000.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan State vs Louisville score: Coen Carr leads Spartans to Sweet 16
