• 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. 

THE LESSON: Michigan State basketball needed Tom Izzo to return to who he was, and he needed to adapt

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. 

More: Jeremy Fears Jr. is starting to find himself. That’s great for Michigan State basketball

“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.

• Former Michigan cornerback Will Johnson is projected as a first-round pick in April’s NFL draft.
• Johnson was unable to work out at Michigan’s pro day on Friday.
• Johnson was invited to April’s draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and said he plans to attend with family, an honor that’s typically reserved for the players most likely to be drafted in Round 1.

Will Johnson did not work out at Michigan football’s pro day Friday because of a hamstring injury he suffered while training, but the top cornerback in this year’s NFL draft said he plans to hold a private workout for teams April 14.

“It was kind of just (something that happened when I) got back from my toe (injury) in early January,” Johnson said. “When you’re doing the training we’re doing like this, it’s pretty intense, so just trying to run as fast as I can and hammy wasn’t ready for that yet.”

A first-team All-American in 2023, Johnson played in just six games last season because of a painful turf toe injury that he said left him unable to run for a period of time.

MORE HELP FOR SECONDRY: Lions sign Avonte Maddox, Detroit native DB and Super Bowl winner, in free agency

He called the string of injuries “frustrating;” he also missed time with a shoulder injury last year. And while some questioned how hard he pushed to get back on the field last fall given his status as a potential top-10 pick, Johnson said “everyone in this building and coaches, players, they all knew what I was dealing with.”

“Couldn’t run, couldn’t walk at first in the boot, all that stuff,” he said. “So I mean, it sounds like a toe, but I want people that say it’s just a toe to go try to run and cut and do all those things without their big toe and see how that goes for you.”

Ranked the No. 10 prospect in the draft by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., Johnson said teams have peppered him with questions about his injuries during pre-draft interviews but none seem overly concerned with his missed time.

Johnson had two interceptions last season after picking off seven passes his first two years and finished his Michigan career as the school’s all-time leader in interceptions returned for a touchdown. He held opponents to a passer rating of 52.6 last season, up from 30.9 in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.

“It’s been frustrating,” he said. “I mean, I’ve missed some games this season because of injury, ’cause the toe and then this hammy, but I mean that’s just what comes with it. So I know what I can do on the field and like you said, I got a lot of film out, so I’m just — I know I’ll go to the team that’s supposed to pick me, so I’m not too worried about it.”

Johnson was invited to April’s draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and said he plans to attend with family, an honor that’s typically reserved for the players most likely to be drafted in Round 1.

He has had pre-draft visits already with two teams that pick in the first half of Round 1 — the Atlanta Falcons (No. 15) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 16) — and has a third scheduled next month, with the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6).

“I feel like I had a pretty good career here,” Johnson said. “Accomplished a lot of my goals, win a national championship, beat Ohio State, win Big Ten championship, so accomplished a lot of goals. But yeah, this season was tough. I mean, another goal was to do all those things this year, too, and I wasn’t able to be out there with the team.

“I did everything I could to be with the team and still help out the team in any way I could. But yeah, it was tough to not affect the game in a way I know I could and help the team get to that next level for sure.”

At the next level in the NFL, Johnson said he expects to impact games similar to how rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean did this year for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell had 12 pass breakups in 16 starts and finished runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year, while DeJean started nine games, was fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and returned an interception for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

“I plan on having that type of year coming in and making an impact right now,” he said. “And the goal is always to help the team win first, win a Super Bowl, do all those things like those guys did do, and then try to get Rookie of the Year and all those goals, too. So that’s the plan.”

Dave Birkett will sign copies of his book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 7 p.m., March 24, at the Birmingham Public Library. 

Order your copy here. 

Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

DENVER — A handful of Michigan fans made their way down to the first row inside Ball Arena, as close as they could get to Dusty May, who’d come to the sideline for a postgame radio interview.

“Dusty March! Dusty March!” one shouted, eliciting a smile from Michigan’s head coach. Even if he wasn’t comfortable with the nickname (see below), he was beyond pleased with his team’s 68-65 victory over UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

Here are some highlights from the postgame interviews with May and the Wolverines, who will face Texas A&M on Saturday.

May on the game’s final possession: “I thought they would go quick. We thought they would try to get a quick 2 with 19 seconds. When we got the switch, it got to about seven or eight, I was trying to signal Danny to foul. But I lost my voice. He forced a tough shot and Rubin (Jones) finished it with a big-time rebound.”

May on Michigan thriving in close games: “When you watch our guys the last five minutes of a game, there’s a different level of intensity and determination to win the game.”

Danny Wolf on how he reacted when Michigan lost its lead late: “When Tyler McGhie hit that 3 on me, I just had a smile on my face and I was just like, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ And I mean that’s what March Madness is and guys are gonna hit big shots, but it’s just how you respond.”

Wolf on Tre Donaldson’s clutch 3: “It’s that ball screen on the right wing. I know it’s going in and Tre loves these big-game shots and big-game moments. It’s nice when you have one of those guys on your team.”

Tre Donaldson on his clutch 3: “My teammates continue to go with me, and they trust me, and I’ve been able to continue to step up and be big for my team.”

May on the crowd coming to life when UC San Diego made a run: “Obviously when the underdog makes a run, all the in-between fans, the BYU fans or whoever that’s here started cheering for them. I’ll just put this out: We are the lower seed (against Texas A&M). We are the underdog. Go Blue. We’ll take everybody. Everyone can hop on board for one day.”

Nimari Burnett on Michigan’s poise in close games: “Us being in late-game situations all year, a lot of close game victories in the Big Ten, playing in a really, really good conference helped us for moments like this to be calm, be poised, even when it’s crazy.”

Will Tschetter on another wild win: “We’ve literally won every single way possible this year.”

Wolf on playing a mile above sea level: “There was a stretch in the first half when we went a while without a media (timeout). I looked at all my teammates and even the UCSD guys were talking at the line about the altitude. But it’s not just us. I feel it, they also feel it. So I mean it’s definitely a real thing, but you just gotta push past it.”

Donaldson on the basketballs used for the NCAA Tournament: “The balls are like, if y’all felt it, they’re like rocks. … But like my old coach Ira Bowman used to say at Auburn, it’s round and it’s orange.”

May on being called “Dusty March”: “No, I’m good with, I’m good with our guys — they deserve this. I’m just Dusty May.”

Wolf on the quick turnaround before facing Texas A&M: “We didn’t come here to win one game. Our coaches are calling it the Denver Invitational. You’ve got to get two to get to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.”

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