Michigan
Michigan State basketball proves it can stay cool, calm after stressful start
Video, Bryant and Michigan State fans set for Cleveland March Madness
Bryant and Michigan State basketball fans get ready for the Bulldogs and Spartans to play a first-round March Madness game Friday in Cleveland.
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.
How to register to vote in Michigan: Step-by-step guide
Registering to vote in Michigan is simple and can be done online, by mail, or in person, depending on how close you are to Election Day.
The rewarding feeling of wearing an “I Voted” sticker after turning in your ballot is something everyone can relate to.
Michigan voters can take it one step farther and vote on the design for the Election Day tradition.
The Michigan Department of State announced on March 3 the return of the highly competitive “I Voted” sticker contest in preparation for the state’s general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
“Our first-ever ‘I Voted’ sticker design contest in 2024 was a massive success,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a March 3 release. “This year we look forward to seeing the creative ways Michiganders of all ages celebrate democracy. Submit your entry to help us continue the tradition and get voters excited to cast their ballot this fall.”
Designs are being accepted online via the Secretary of State’s “I Voted” webpage: Michigan.gov/IVotedSticker. On the page, participants may print or download the official entry form.
Design and entry rules, the sticker template, and tips and suggestions are included on the official entry form.
There are three categories — elementary/middle school (grades K-8), high school (grades 9-12) and Michigan residents of all ages. Designs are due at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1.
Once submissions are closed, the public may vote for finalists online in June. Winners will be announced and celebrated later in the summer. Winning stickers will be dispersed to local election clerks for the November Election.
In 2024, there were more than 480 submissions, and more than 57,700 voters selected the nine winners, according to the release. Before the contest opened up for a public vote, the Michigan Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force members narrowed the submissions down to 25 semifinalists.
Here’s the 2024 winners and rules for the 2026 participants:
What did the winning 2024 ‘I Voted’ sticker designs look like?
Want to enter a design? Here are the ‘I Voted’ sticker contest rules
According to the Secretary of State, here’s what to keep in mind for your sticker:
- Designs must be completed using official entry form.
- Designs must include the phrase “I voted” AND be nonpartisan in nature.
- Artwork must be original, non-AI generated, and not contain copyrighted or trademarked designs.
- Entries can be created using your preferred method (digital, paint, crayon, mixed media, etc.)
- Provide as high quality of resolution as possible when submitting your design.
- There are three categories — elementary/middle school (grades K-8), high school (grades 9-12) and Michigan residents of all ages. You may enter one design in one category.
- Designs are due at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
Two employees who refused to serve a man and his wife because he was wearing a hoodie with President Trump’s name on it were fired after a video of the heated encounter went viral.
Erika Lindemyer and her husband, Jake, were forced out of a Smoothie King franchise location in Ann Arbor, Michigan, following a fiery clash with two young female workers on Sunday.
The employees claimed they didn’t “feel comfortable” serving the couple because of Jake’s pro-Trump hoodie, as captured by Erika in a viral video.
Jake and Erika fired back at the pair and insisted that they were being “discriminated” against based on their “political views.”
“We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination,” Erika spat.
“Okay, well, have a great day,” the first employee said.
“That is illegal,” Erika tried to insist again.
“I said Trump discriminates [against] us,” another employee chimed in.
“Okay, well that has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie!” Erika guffawed.
“OK, well that’s who you support though, that’s who you love,” the first employee chided.
“What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie,” Erika huffed.
The second employee noted that they “have a right to refuse service” and directed the couple to the exit.
“You asked a question and [the other employee] gave you an answer. Have a great day. Have a great day. The door’s right there,” the second worker said.
Trump merchandise. Leftism/X
Erika threatened to call the police while storming out, but it’s unclear if she did.
In a separate video shared Monday, one of the workers joked that she might’ve “accidentally started a race war” and called on the public to help remove Erika’s video.
“I am a minor and she recorded me without my permission. The people in the comments are all white and they’re all being hella racist, guys, please help me get this video taken down,” she implored.
Smoothie King confirmed that the girls involved in the viral confrontation “are no longer with the business” as of Monday.
“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” the company wrote on X.
The owner of the Ann Arbor franchise location will also enforce “mandatory retraining for all employees that outlines our guest experience standards.”
In early December, a woman who worked at a Target in California was berated by a customer for wearing a Charlie Kirk “Freedom” T-shirt.
When the employee insisted she was allowed to wear the red shirt, the irate customer accused her of supporting “a racist.”
The medical center where the agitated customer worked was bombarded with upwards of 6,000 “profanity-laced” phone calls after online sleuths doxxed her personal information.
Ann Arbor — The Wolverines won the outright Big Ten regular-season title with two games to go, but it came at a great cost.
L.J. Cason, Michigan’s backup point guard and a key piece of the rotation, tore his right ACL in the championship-clinching win at Illinois. Just like that, Cason’s season was over and Michigan was hit with a brutal blow.
But when adversity strikes, opportunity knocks. While the team won’t be the same without Cason, coach Dusty May believes Michigan has backcourt pieces who can step up and make up for the loss.
“This is a great opportunity for Roddy (Gayle Jr.), Trey (McKenney) and Nimari (Burnett) to play more, and those guys are really good players,” May said Monday. “Our rotation has been nine and nine, I think, is too deep. It’s playing too many guys, if you want to optimize everyone. But we felt like we had nine guys that deserved to play, that gave us a different element.
“We look at this as another challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for guys to play a little bit more, to play longer periods, to play through a mistake, to play a little bit different role. We do feel like these guys are a lot better than they were earlier this year, so we’re prepared to handle whatever comes at us.”
May said he doesn’t know exactly when Cason tore his ACL, and neither does Cason. The sophomore guard fell to the court and got up favoring his right leg on two separate occasions against Illinois.
The first instance came in the final minute of the first half, when Cason tipped a long rebound ahead and chased it down to start a fast break. After he grabbed the ball in the air and bounced it backward between his legs to a trailing teammate, Cason went down. He got up hobbling, was subbed out and went back to the locker room.
Cason briefly checked back in during the second half and scored a driving layup a minute into his shift. But on Michigan’s next possession, he fell down after trying to score through contact and got up limping again. Shortly after that, Cason motioned to the Michigan bench to be taken out of the game and he exited for good.
“At halftime, the training staff came and said basically he’s passed all of his jump test. He just did the bike. He says he’s 100% ready to go. I was surprised, because I was expecting him to be out,” May said. “I said, ‘What about the test?’ They said both of his knees are loose, so it’s hard. We don’t feel that anything is torn.
“He comes back in. He lands funny again. … It’s unfortunate for him because he was playing so well. When an ACL pops on a noncontact injury, you’re like, ‘Man, what could we have done different?’ When it happens on a funny, quirky play, usually those are the ones that aren’t preventable.”
May added it hasn’t been determined yet when Cason will undergo surgery. Given the typical recovery timeline for a torn ACL ranges anywhere from nine to 12 months, May said Cason redshirting next season is a possibility that’s “on the table.”
“That’s certainly been discussed as well, and then that impacts the recruiting decision-making,” May said. “But right now, we’re still trying to figure out when he’s going to have it. What’s the timeline? Does it make sense to go ahead and sit out next year? … We haven’t made any definitive decisions, because all the information is so inconclusive.”
Moving forward, the plan isn’t to have just one guy replace Cason, who averaged 8.4 points and 2.4 assists in 18.6 minutes per game, shot 40.2% from 3-point range and served as a facilitator when starting point guard Elliot Cadeau wasn’t on the court. It’ll be a by-committee approach.
That said, Cason’s absence is certainly going to put much more on Cadeau’s shoulders. The Wolverines can ill afford to have Cadeau commit unnecessary fouls and miss long stretches at a time. Without Cason, Cadeau is the one guard who can break down opposing defenses off the dribble and create for others.
“This will force Elliot to be much more solid with his defensive decision-making when it comes to fouling,” May said. “He doesn’t have that insurance policy anymore named L.J. behind him, because L.J. came in and carried the load several games for our group. That’s not there anymore.”
While Burnett, Gayle and McKenney haven’t had to be facilitators in their roles this season, May expressed confidence all three can take on minutes with the ball in their hands and initiate the offense.
Even beyond the guards, May noted the team has “other capable weapons” who can serve as triggers on offense depending on the matchup, like forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. and big man Aday Mara.
Add it all together, May feels the Wolverines can find a way to absorb the blow, fill the void and forge ahead with Cason sidelined.
“We have enough to overcome what L.J. brought to the team,” May said. “I don’t know if he’s the best backup point guard in the country, but I can’t think of one that’s better. We’re losing a lot, but once again, we’re not going to sit here and look at it from that angle.
“This is an opportunity for all these other guys to do a little bit more, and they’re more than capable. It’s on us to find the right rotations and situations. Without a doubt, we have a lot of confidence in our roster.”
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
@jamesbhawkins
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