BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — 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.
Steady March
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.”
Passing fancy
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.”
Up next
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