Carson Cooper matched his career high with 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Michigan State routed North Dakota State 92-67 on Thursday to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in 28 consecutive appearances under coach Tom Izzo.

Coen Carr added 17 points for the third-seeded Spartans. Freshman forward Cam Ward scored 13 points and Jaxon Kohler had 12 points and nine rebounds. Leading scorer Jeremy Fears Jr. managed only seven points, but had 11 assists, exceeding his season average of 9.2 that ranks first in the country.

Michigan State (26-7) advanced to play Louisville (24-10) in the second round Saturday after the No. 6 seed in the Midwest held on to beat South Florida 83-79. It will be the fifth March Madness matchup between the schools and first since 2015, when the Spartans beat the Cardinals in overtime to reach the Final Four.

The Spartans bounced back after losing in the first round of the Big Ten tournament against UCLA, and in their regular-season finale at Michigan.

“When we’re clicking, I think we’re really hard to beat,” Fears said. “And day in and day out, it’s a grind to keep getting better, and the end goal is to win championships. We want to win games, but championships is the goal.

Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 16 points to lead 14th-seeded North Dakota State (27-8). The Summit League champions qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in 18 seasons and first since the 2020 tournament that was canceled.

The Spartans shot 59% against the undersized Bison, scoring 44 points in the paint, with eight dunks. Michigan State shot 10 for 20 from 3-point range, while North Dakota State finished 6 for 25 from long distance.

“When you start making baskets, I think you get fooled that you can win games different ways,” Izzo said. “You can win them different ways, but to win consistently, where you’ve got to come in night in, night out, play in different arenas, domes, this arena, pro arenas, you’d better bring your lunch bucket and your defense and your rebounding.”

The Spartans had a 35-23 advantage on the boards and did not allow any second-chance baskets.

North Dakota State opened an early 8-5 lead before going more than six minutes without a field goal. Michigan State took command with an 18-2 run. The Spartans extended their lead with a 10-point run and led 45-25 at halftime.

Michigan State improved to 51-26 in the tournament under Izzo during what is the longest active streak of March Madness appearances. The Spartans have not lost their opening game since playing in the First Four in 2019, and have not lost as the higher seed in a first-round matchup since 2016.

“We’re blessed to have someone who’s been through the ringer for 28 years straight in this tournament,” Cooper said of Izzo. “It’s comfortable for us to kind of look up to him and trust what he’s telling us because we know he’s been there.”

Michigan State’s 26 assists were its most ever in an NCAA Tournament game.

Fears had double-digit assists for the 14th time this season. The Spartans scored 15 points in transition, with Fears lobbing a number of alley-oops to Cooper and Carr on the fast break

“I could care less if we run any plays,” Izzo said. “I’d like to just get our fast break going and make that the biggest part of our offense.”

Michigan State will try to reach the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under Izzo.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks Military Compatibility Committee met for the first time in Grand Forks on Thursday morning at Grand Forks International Airport. The brief inaugural meeting introduced the committee, reviewed the military impact zones chapter to the North Dakota Century Code and began the process of identifying potential zoning considerations.

The committee was created as a part of Senate Bill 2398, which was passed during the 2025 legislative session. The bill’s purpose is to create impact zones around military installations and form committees that will help oversee any potential development in those zones to avoid detrimental impacts on military operations.

Present for the meeting were North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, Grand Forks County Administrator Tom Ford, Lt. Col. Trenton Norman, Grand Forks Township board member Andy Byron and Grand Forks International Airport Executive Director Ryan Reisinger.

“The Legislature felt this was an opportunity to gain a better understanding and in many ways, assist (Grand Forks Air Force Base) in that cause. We are in no way trying to put our finger in your chili; we just want to make sure we can add some ingredients,” Goehring said.

Chapter 37-30-03 of the Century Code states the agriculture commissioner may create one or more military compatibility committees to harmonize land, airspace and electromagnetic spectrum use in military impact zones, review potential encroachment of military installations in military impact zones and promote the sustainability of military operations in the state.

A similar meeting was also held for the first time this week in Minot.

In Grand Forks County, there are concerns about solar farms or wind turbines causing problems for the base. Ford said the county is sensitive to any type of encroachment and it is trying to get ahead of it.

The county is in the process of a compatible use study that would help the Grand Forks County Commission refine its special use policies. This could include adding cement to runways close to the base or adding wind farms, Ford offered as examples.

The main concern for Ford was any impacts on spectrum frequency availability as opposed to air or land use. Ford also offered to keep the committee apprised of how the compatible use study proceeds.

Gorman Field, a UND-owned Unmanned Aircraft System testing and training site in Emerado, was mentioned as a type of project that the committee would want to get ahead of, given its proximity to the base.

“Are there other opportunities for similar drone programs and projects that are going to happen in the rural county? Not that we are aware of, but we would like to get ahead of it just because we weren’t really able to mitigate it with the Gorman Field project,” Byron said.

Goehring also offered oil and gas pipelines as potential sources of impact.

“That might be something to watch and monitor,” he said.

Representing the base, Norman stated they are not aware of any concerns of encroachment at the moment. The base is actively working to engage its community partners and has a “wonderful working relationship.”

Grand Forks City Council President Dana Sande was absent from the meeting. Sande will act as the committee’s representative from the city, according to Goehring.

Before adjournment, Goehring determined the committee would meet again in the summer at a date to be determined later.

Digital Content Producer and Sports Reporter at the Grand Forks Herald since December of 2020. Maxwell can be contacted at mmarko@gfherald.com.

It’s the green and white vs. the green and yellow in Buffalo, New York, as Michigan State basketball faces North Dakota State on Thurday, March 19 (4:05 p.m., TNT) at KeyBank Center.

The Spartans are the 4-seed and favored by 16½ points, but that doesn’t rule out an upset by the 13-seed Bison: two 4-seeds have lost in the first round in the past three years (Alabama to College of Charleston in 2024 and Virginia to Furman in 2023).

Will the Spartans go the way of the Crimson Tide and Cavaliers? Probably not, but five Free Press sports writers have their thoughts on the 2026 NCAA Tournament first-round game between Michigan State and North Dakota State.

MAKE YOUR PICKS: Beat our March Madness expert bracket: Picks for every NCAA game

Tony Garcia

If this is in fact Tom Izzo’s month, there’s no time to fall to a double-digit seed. The Spartans’ defense has been gutted its past two games, but Jeremy Fears Jr. is exactly the type of guard a team needs in March. He leads the Spartans out of the opening round. The pick: MSU 77, North Dakota State 64.

Carlos Monarrez

Ol’ Mr. March, Tom Izzo, has his Spartans dancing yet again and with a healthy break – ahem – after an early Big Ten Tournament exit, you can bet he’ll get the defense to tighten up. It’ll need it against the good-shooting Bisons, who are great from 3-point range. The pick: MSU 78, North Dakota State 70.

Jeff Seidel

The Spartans should have no excuses. They are well-rested and have had time to prepare for the Bison, a team that last made the NCAAs in 2019. If the Spartans come out and go through the motions, thinking ahead to future opponents – like they did at the Big Ten Tournament – it would be inexcusable. I also don’t think that’s gonna happen. The Spartans will roll. The pick: MSU 90, North Dakota State 71.

Chris Solari

The Spartans haven’t taken a step back from high-level competition in weeks, so they will welcome having the clear-cut physical advantages to bang with the Bison. The key at KeyBank Center will be MSU defending NDSU’s sharp-shooting lineup to prevent a classic 3/14 upset. The pick: MSU 84, North Dakota State 72.

Shawn Windsor

The Spartans go as their shooting goes. That’s been the narrative for much of the season anyway, and while they look like Final Four contenders when they hit a few outside shots, the better barometer of late has been their 3-point defense. They’ll need some against the Bisons, who love to chuck ’em, and make ’em. Expect MSU to tighten up on the perimeter. The pick: MSU 74, North Dakota State 63.