Michigan State beats Louisville, advances to Sweet 16

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1), left, guard Trey Fort (9), right, and teammates wave at fans to celebrate 77-69 win over Louisville at the NCAA Tournament Second Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It wasn’t pretty, but the Spartans got the job done.

Add another Sweet 16 to Tom Izzo’s résumé. Coen Carr kicked off with an early five points as the game was tied heading into the first TV timeout. Kur Teng finished a 7-0 run after the break with his first three of the game.

Jaxon Kohler added two jump shots of his own to give MSU a 19-12 lead. The shots were falling for Michigan State as Carson Cooper even made one – only his second of the year. As the Spartans looked to pushed the lead to double-digits, they either shot themselves in the foot or Louisville had an answer after each MSU made field goal.

Jeremy Fears didn’t have his best first half – he forced a couple midrange shots and missed two transition outlet passes. The whole team struggled with unforced turnovers and they’d end up with nine total by the end of the first half. Trey Fort stepped up big off the bench for Michigan State, including an and-one three-pointer, now in back-to-back games.