Michigan

Michigan State basketball proves it can stay cool, calm after stressful start

Published

1 year ago

March 22, 2025

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Michigan State basketball proves it can stay cool, calm after stressful start

Michigan State, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, overcame a slow start to defeat Bryant 87-62.
Sophomore forward Coen Carr led the Spartans with 18 points and several highlight-reel dunks.
Carr’s performance was crucial in countering Bryant’s athleticism and preventing an early upset.

CLEVELAND — For a while, it looked like it might be one of those games.

Tom Izzo knows them well. The underdog comes out with its hair on fire. An uppercut here. A body blow there.

A couple 3-pointers. A few blocks. And halfway through the first half, the underdog has the lead, as Bryant did over Michigan State.

Remember when MSU began the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed in 2016?

Of course you do. And for a moment, the Middle Tennessee vibes were pulsating.

It had been a minute since the Spartans entered the postseason with such a high seed, and with this much expectation. It feels different.

And it felt different here at Rocket Arena.

MSU showed its nerves — and its youth — in particular spots.

The Spartans were amped to start — overamped, truthfully — and when Jase Richardson barely hit the rim on his first two shots, you could see the freshman guard was struggling to catch his breath.

Bryant scored the first five points. The Spartans missed their first four shots — and their first free throw. It wasn’t until Jaden Akins, the senior, got to the free throw line that Spartans scored.

He followed with a 3-pointer. And as he ran down the court, he pushed his palms down near MSU’s bench, motioning everyone to calm down, that everything would be fine.

Eventually, it was, as MSU beat Bryant, 87-62, to advance to the second round, where it will play New Mexico here Sunday.

Pushed around?

“I thought we got pushed around a little bit in the first half,” Izzo said. “And maybe that was me. I don’t know. But we did a better job the second half.”

Punched in the mouth, he called it. And for a coach who has built his program to take the swings, it was hard to watch the beginning.

Then Akins hit the shot to settle things. From there, Coen Carr catapulted the Spartans. The sophomore forward played the game of his life. He ran the floor, as he always does, and dunked. He rebounded, too. Mostly, he supercharged MSU.

“It was infectious,” Izzo said.

Not to mention critical.

Bryant is long on the perimeter and tough everywhere. And unlike so many teams reluctant to crash the offensive glass because of the Spartans’ lethal fastbreak, the Bulldogs were fearless there, too.

their athleticism may not have surprised the Spartans, but it bothered them — especially early — and forced the Spartans to swarm the defensive glass as well, keeping them from running.

Points were a struggle early — except for Carr, who finished with a game-high 18.

He hit a pull-up from the left elbow midway through the first half. On the next possession, he laid it up after a balletic spin. And when he got to the free throw line after getting the chance at a three-point play, he knocked it down — a relief, considering his normally reliable teammates were misfiring from the line.

Twice, he soared in for offensive rebounds. Each time, he rose up and dunked the putbacks off two feet, single-handedly keeping the upset vibes at bay.

“I wasn’t going to let my team lose today,” Carr said. “I just tried to play as hard as I can, tried to get every rebound I can and just make the most of my opportunities out there.”

He started the second half in place of Szymon Zapala, only coming out to take a brief rest. It was his game. His athleticism countered the Spartans’ 15th-seeded opponent. Or at least helped to match it.

His game was made for the matchup — and for the moment.

Because he doesn’t live on the perimeter, where nerves can get in the way, he was free to unleash his otherworldly hops and quickness.

Izzo has been waiting for him to attack the boards like this, and to play defense like this.

“Coen ignited us on offense, especially when things (weren’t) going our way,” teammate Jeremy Fears Jr. said. “He was a big piece in getting this win today and helping us pull away.”

Not, technically, his first rodeo

This was not Carr’s first time under the NCAA tournament spotlight.

But he didn’t get this kind of run a year ago as MSU fell in the second round. He took advantage of the opportunity.

Where Richardson and Fears, and even Jaxon Kohler, took a bit to find their footing — and slow their heart rates — Carr channeled his extra juice into a season-saving night. Kohler was so nervous and jacked up, he couldn’t find his rebounding rhythm — or his normal feel for the ball on the block.

As for Carson Cooper?

Izzo didn’t lean on him early, then spent time kneeling next to him on the bench. Bryant’s front line outmuscled and outmaneuvered MSU’s bigs. Kohler and Cooper knew it was coming, but needed a minute to adjust.

Carr gave them those minutes to figure things out.

Maybe they win without his breakout turn, but not likely.

Izzo refused to acknowledge his team walked off the floor with more teachable moments. He wants his team to be past that by now.

It’s tournament time. The “my bad” excuse doesn’t work this time of year, as he likes to say.

“There should be no eye openers, I don’t think,” Izzo said. “We’ll talk about that tonight when we get back (to the hotel). It wasn’t looking real good there, and I think if (Bryant) would have kept close, (with) the way those three guys could shoot it, I wouldn’t have liked for that thing to come down to the nitty-gritty, and I think our team will learn that.”

He wanted a better, cleaner start — and who can blame him?

His team may not have overwhelming talent, but it has thrived all season within its relatively small margin for error. Look at the way these Spartans closed the Big Ten regular season.

“We know what it’s like to show up every night, and we’ll have to do better,” he said.

To make a run, they’ll have to.

To make a run, they’ll have to survive the occasional fits and spurts — and to do that, someone will have to lift the group. Carr did that Friday night, making sure MSU’s postseason didn’t end almost as soon as it started.

This is how it has been for these Spartans all season: If one side of the floor gets a little sticky, someone on the other side gasses it.

Sunday, against New Mexico, it may be someone else. Or it may be someone else and Carr again.

Because what he did, he can duplicate.

Energy is like that — and he is proving to have an unlimited supply.

Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

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Michigan

Michigan launches new online form to track harmful algal blooms

Published

10 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Michigan launches new online form to track harmful algal blooms

As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.

HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)

To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.

“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”

It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.

Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.

“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.

Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.

For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.

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Michigan

Lake Michigan beaches have added more safety features, but is it enough?

Published

22 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

Lake Michigan beaches have added more safety features, but is it enough?

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Beach season is here, and Lake Michigan is the most popular of the Great Lakes for swimming. However, it can also be the most dangerous.

According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 81 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2025. 36 of those drownings, or almost half, happened in Lake Michigan.

“Even an Olympic swimmer is not going to swim against the rip current,” Pat Whelan, Plainwell district supervisor for the Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said.

What makes a rip current so dangerous is the natural instinct to try and swim back to shore. However, it is not the way to escape.

“It’s a term called ‘flip, float, and follow,’ where you flip on your back so you can breathe,” Whelan said. “Follow that, float on the top of that current and follow it out into the lake until you can feel it release you. Then you’re going to swim parallel to the shore, and then the waves themselves will help push you back into the shore.”

It’s been more than 20 years since Andy Fox, 17, drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park, but the pain is still fresh for his mother, Vicki Cech, who rarely goes to the beach.

“When I have company in, sometimes I’ll walk out on the pier, but as a rule I just don’t go there anymore,” Cech said. “Not that beach, because that one does have a lot of sad memories for me.”

Pictured is Andy Fox, 17, in this undated photo. Fox drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park in 2006. (Cech/WWMT)

Compared to other Lake Michigan beaches, Grand Haven State Park has added safety features as conditions are known to change rapidly.

Grand Haven uses the color warning system, but at other beaches, they have flags.

At Grand Haven State Park, however, there is an electronic lighting system on an orange tower. When the life ring on that tower is pulled, Ottawa County dispatch is alerted right away.

Blue towers on the beach are equipped with cameras, providing a video feed of what is happening where the life ring was pulled.

Electric lights instead of flags are used to alert people of swimming conditions at Grand Haven State Park.

“They can push the bottom and actually talk back and forth with central dispatch,” Whelan said.

Alongside these additions, Cech would like to see lifeguards on Grand Haven’s beaches.

“I know there’s all kinds of different things we have down there. Life rings closer to the water and everything like that,” Cech said. “But I’d say the only thing which I see South Haven has finally gotten lifeguards, the ultimate would be lifeguards.”

Michigan got rid of lifeguards at state parks in the 1990’s. The DNR said it was a combination of cost and liability concerns.

South Haven, however, welcomed lifeguards back to the city’s beaches for the first time in 25 years on Monday.

Those lifeguards do not yet have chairs and towers yet, but they will be posted between each flag section, with green, yellow and red colors marking that day’s swimming conditions.

More information about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found online.

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Michigan

The 5 most important recruits officially visiting Michigan Football this summer

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

The 5 most important recruits officially visiting Michigan Football this summer

As official visits commence this upcoming weekend, let’s take a look at the five most important recruits officially visiting Michigan this summer.

Five-star CB Joshua Dobson, June 12

247Sports “only” has Dobson ranked 43rd nationally. Meanwhile, their composite says he is the 11th-best player in the entire class. Regardless of what the analysts think of the versatile Dobson, he would be a fantastic get for the Wolverines.

Four-stars Tavares Harrington and Darius Johnson, along with three-star Charles Woodson Jr. and three-star Maxwell Miles form an excellent foundation for the class’s secondary. Dobson would not only be the cherry on top, but the hot fudge, sprinkles and peanuts, too.

Here is what he said about Michigan, according to Rivals’ Keegan Pope ($):

“Man, they’re definitely up there. Not a lot of people talk about them in my recruitment, which I don’t know why, but Michigan is strong.”

Four-star WR Dakota Guerrant, June 19

We all know about Guerrant and the Wolverines’ interest in the Harper Woods, Michigan, product. Landing four-star Quentin Burrell does ease some of the pressure of adding a potentially elite playmaker on the perimeter, especially with Oregon playing a significant role in Guerrant’s recruitment, too.

Those Ducks appear to be a serious obstacle. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong recently talked about Guerrant’s potential pairing with Oregon on “The Wiltfong Whiparound” and how he loves their offense.

Perhaps that marriage is set in stone and Michigan is simply entertaining him on the visit. Perhaps Whittingham and Ron Bellamy can sway the in-stater to stay home.

Three-star edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi, June 19

The Wolverines are trending up for the Fort Wayne, Indiana edge rusher. Emedobi may seem a bit redundant with Recarder Kitchen and Jayce Brewer already preparing to don the maize and blue. However, perhaps there are plans for either of the 6-foot-6 Kitchen or 6-foot-5 Brewer to play a more complete defensive lineman role, rather than pure edge work, which feels more likely for someone of Emedobi’s stature (6-foot-1.5, 215 pounds).

Emedobi also only recently started playing football, so who knows where he ends up at the collegiate level. Considering his final four includes Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota, let’s hope Michigan — not the conference foes — gets to solve that question.

Three-star WR Charles Britton III, June 19

Another in-state wide receiver, Britton III, aka “Tre,” hails from Belleville but is drawing heavy interest from Missouri, according to Rivals.

Here is what he had to say about Michigan, via Rivals’ Allen Trieu ($):

“Really, just like being so close to home,” Britton said. “I get to visit them whenever I want really, so I can just get to see how things are going with them. They could take up with me whenever they want too. They’re in my face more, I’d say, because they’re right down the street, so I get to go to them, they get to go to me as many times as possible. So I’m just putting in new relationships and building them fast. It really is — they’re Michigan.”

The official visit should help determine if this is simply love for the hometown school or a legitimate interest in being a Wolverine.

Four-star IOL Lincoln Mageo, June 5

Mageo, from Oceanside, California, may not be regarded as a blue chip prospect, but this is a program that does not necessarily need the most highly touted trenchmen to develop stars. Mageo recently talked to Maize n Brew and praised offensive line coach Jim Harding.

“I loved watching coach Harding break down technique during indy period so that everyone could understand,” Mageo said. “That is the type of coaching that I’m looking for. A coach who takes time to break down technique and focuses on development.

Four-star Jakari Lipsey, and three-stars Sidney Rouleau and Louis Esposito make up the offensive line group in this cycle so far.

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