Atlanta — Aside from his sister and parents, no one in Coen Carr’s family has seen him play a basketball game since his sophomore year of high school.
On Friday in the NCAA Sweet 16, a group of family members bigger than he could keep track of descended on State Farm Arena to watch him play, and they got to see his first career start.
They’ll get to watch him play Sunday night, too, because he and No. 2 seed Michigan State downed No. 6 seed Mississippi, 73-70, to advance to the Elite Eight. Carr played as big a role in making that happen as anyone.
Michigan State (30-6) makes its 15th trip to the Elite Eight, and coach Tom Izzo is looking to get the Spartans to another Final Four.
“I’m just excited. We didn’t play very good in the first half. The toughness thing was a factor. Give these guys credit — they bounced back in the second half and played better,” Izzo said on the CBS broadcast. “I didn’t think we were great, but that is a hell of a team we played, the toughest team I’ve played in years.”
MSU trailed, 33-31, to start the second half, but Carr erased it immediately with a game-tying dunk. It was the first of six points in the second half and 15 in the game. Though Mississippi’s Malik Dia converted a dunk immediately after, and Jaemyn Brakefield hit a midrange jumper, Jase Richardson hit free throws and a layup to tie the game each time. Mississippi finally took a 40-37 lead off a Dia 3-pointer that trickled down the basket. Mississippi (24-12) stayed up three at the first media timeout of the half.
Mississippi kept up the pressure, with an 11-2 run taking over the start of the second half. Sean Pedulla factored heavily into this stretch, and so did the rebounding of Dia and Dre Davis. Michigan State trailed 48-39 before Carr and Richardson mustered a response.
Once Michigan State hit a couple of shots, the momentum built. A Jaden Akins layup provided another source of offense, while dribble penetration from Jeremy Fears Jr. set up Richardson for a corner 3. Just as fast as Mississippi built its lead, it lost most of it. With 7:52, Michigan State only trailed by a single point, 50-49.
▶ BOX SCORE:Michigan State 73, Ole Miss 70
With free throws, center Carson Cooper tied the game and took the lead with 7:50 remaining. A layup from Frankie Fidler stretched it to 53-50, but Pedulla tied the game with an elbow 3 before his team called timeout.
Out of the timeout, Michigan State kept the pressure up. Tre Holloman finished a layup to edge ahead. Pedulla matched him at the free-throw line after a hard foul. Between shots, Carr subbed back into the game with 6:06 to play.
A minute later, Fears took over. He hit both his free throws to take a lead before Mississippi’s Matthew Murrell snatched it right back with a corner 3 fired over the outstretched hands of two Michigan State defenders. But after Mississippi rebounded Michigan State’s next miss, Fears jumped to block a transition pass, feeding a one-handed Carr jam in front of his hometown crowd. As Pedulla hit a 3 at the other end, Fears matched him to make it 61 all with 3:31 to play. Then Fears drew an offensive foul to get the ball right back.
Richardson scored his 20th point off a go-ahead layup with three minutes left. Davon Barnes hit two free throws to tie the game again on the next possession. After empty possessions by both sides, Michigan State called timeout with 1:46 to play in a tie ballgame.
With 1:27 left, an Akins layup once again pushed Michigan State ahead. Richardson rebounded a Mississippi miss to give his team a chance to build a lead. Cooper laid the ball in for the four-point lead, but Pedulla (24 points) scored to keep it a two-point, 67-65 gap with 33.6 seconds to play. On the ensuing inbound, Michigan State navigated the press before Akins hit free throws to go up four, before Pedulla brought it closer with a layup. With 11.1 seconds to play, Holloman hit free throws to stay up four.
Michigan State started off slow, but it didn’t get far behind. After three Michigan State turnovers and a couple of missed shots, the Spartans only trailed 6-4 at the first media timeout, a rather tepid opening from each side.
At 13:57, Cooper tied the game with a post move. On the defensive end, he blocked a shot on the next possession and boarded a miss on Mississippi’s next shot. The Rebels went nearly four minutes without scoring before a Jaemyn Brakefield free throw. After Pedulla added a 3 to make it 10-6 at, that lead lasted all of 41 seconds before Holloman and Carr tied it with free throws.
Pedulla scored another 3 to keep Mississippi in front, but his second foul sent him to the bench with 11:09 left in the first half.
Mississippi kept shooting, with Jaylen Murray keeping the pressure on Michigan State. He followed a 3 with a layup after outwaiting an Akins block. As the Spartans’ offense struggled to hit shots, Mississippi outscored it 12-4 in this stretch to take a 22-14 lead at 9:14. Neither team scored for the next minute and a half.
Out of the next media timeout, Frankie Fidler found an answer for Michigan State, drawing an and-one on a baseline drive and hitting his free throw. Carr hit a hook shot to bring the game to a three-point affair. But Mississippi stormed ahead, with a 7-0 run giving it a 29-19 lead in the game.
Looking for a burst to close the half with some momentum, Michigan State turned to Richardson. He hit two 3s in the final minutes of the half to whittle away, while Carr and Akins added one each. A 10-point deficit turned into a 33-31 game at halftime.
Michigan State hasn’t made the Elite Eight since 2019, when it finished the season in the Final Four. The Spartans will face the winner of No. 1 seed Auburn and No. 5 seed Michigan, tip-off at 9:39 p.m. Friday.
@ConnorEaregood
