Michigan State basketball’s connectivity a key for March Madness

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Michigan State basketball players Jase Richardson and Coen Carr are roommates who hold each other accountable on the court.Coach Tom Izzo believes that the team’s strong communication and “connectiveness” have been key to their success.

EAST LANSING – In quieter moments, Jase Richardson and Coen Carr enjoy building Lego sets together at their apartment. A calming way, both have said, to decompress from the grueling grind physically and hyperfocus needed mentally to play elite-level college basketball.

Because playing for Tom Izzo can be intense and demanding. From both the coach and their Michigan State teammates. Even between the two roommates.

Case in point: A bad-pass turnover near midcourt at Iowa less than two weeks ago.

Richardson’s handoff outside got stripped away from Carr, and the freshman committed a foul seconds later. He got on his close friend, a sophomore, and Carr gave it right back to Richardson. It was a brief but important interaction of open communication to get back on the same page.

“We both want to win, and we know that it’s nothing personal,” Carr reflected after practice Tuesday. “Nobody’s coming at anybody disrespectful or in any kind of way. We just want to win, and that’s it. And you just have to be open to listen and hear them out and not really listen to how they’re saying it and listen to what they’re saying.”

That interaction proved to be a small but significant building block of a 33-6 run that led to the Spartans’ eventual 91-84 victory to clinch the outright Big Ten title.

“Those two are tighter than thieves,” Izzo said Tuesday. “But, yeah, there should be a time when somebody should be able to post somebody else up.”

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Source link : https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2025/03/19/tom-izzo-michigan-state-basketball-march-madnessncaa-tournament-south-region/82527431007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-19 10:12:00

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