Michigan State basketball got a career-best performance from center Carson Cooper as it took care of some early-round business.
The 3-seed Spartans beat the 14-seed North Dakota State Bison 92-67 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Thursday, March 19. With the win, Michigan State will play the 6-seed Louisville Cardinals in the second round on Saturday, March 21 (time and channel TBD).
The Michigan State big men showed out, with Cooper tying his career-high in scoring early in the second half (20 points) and finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Jaxon Kohler also put up 12 points and nine rebounds, hitting three 3-pointers in an all-around performance. And, of course, forward Coen Carr put up a few highlight-worthy dunks.
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The Spartans stifled the Bison early, allowing only 25 first-half points from a North Dakota State team that started the game shooting 4-for-5 from the field. Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had nine first-half assists, on pace to set the program’s all-time NCAA tournament single-game assist record (14), but finished the game short of the mark with 11.
The Spartans are one win away from the Sweet 16, which they have reached in two of their last three seasons.
Here are the highlights from Thursday’s win.
Michigan State beats North Dakota State, will play Louisville in 2nd round
FINAL: MSU 92, NDSU 67.
Michigan State didn’t lead the game from end-to-end, but its play was dominant throughout in a first-round win against North Dakota State..
The Spartans move on to play 6-seed Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 21. The time and channel for that game is still yet to be determined.
Michigan State approaching victory
2H, 3:10: MSU 82, NDSU 61.
Michigan State scored only one point in a four-minute stretch, its coldest offensive performance of the game.
Luckily, the Spartans were up by 25 points when the near-scoreless run started and the defense was still Spartan-level, so it hasn’t affected Michigan State’s chances of winning this game. The Spartans are up big as the clock approaches zero.
Tom Izzo gets his shine
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo got some love on the TNT broadcast, showing why he is known as “Mr. March” around these parts.
But where did he get that nickname? You may already know, but here’s a reminder if you need one.
Michigan State has three players approaching double-doubles
2H, 7:58: MSU 76, NDSU 51.
Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler quietly has 11 points and eight rebounds, hitting three 3-pointers so far. He is one of there double-double candidates for the Spartans, with center Carson Cooper (20 points, eight rebounds) and point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (seven points, 11 assists) also on double-double watch.
Carson Cooper ties career-high in points
2H, 10:45: MSU 69, NDSU 48.
Michigan State center Carson Cooper’s funky second-half layup gave him his 20th point of the game, which ties his career high set on Feb. 22 against Ohio State. Cooper also has six rebounds and three assists while shooting 7-for-8 from the field (adding six points on free throws).
Two other Michigan State standouts have reached double figures in scoring, with forward Coen Carr and guard Cam Ward each with 10 points.
Michigan State extends lead in second half
2H, 14:52: MSU 61, NDSU 35.
A Treyson Anderson alley-oop layup started the second half on a positive note for the Bison, but Michigan State center Carson Cooper followed with a thunderous dunk to give him his 16th point of the game.
Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. got his 10th assist of the game on a Jordan Scott 3-pointer that pushed the Spartans lead to 28. And with over 14 minutes left in the game, the second-team All-American guard has plenty of time to set the program’s all-time tournament record (14) … though Spartans coach Tom Izzo may choose to rest his star before he gets the chance.
Michigan State’s dominant first half
End 1H: MSU 45, NDSU 25.
Michigan State showed why its calling card this season has been defense.
The Spartans held the Bison to 10-for-30 shooting (including 2-for-15 from 3-point land) while blocking four shots and forcing eight turnovers. Meanwhile, the Michigan State offense has held its own, with center Carson Cooper leading all scorers with 14 points and point guard Jeremy Fears on pace to set an MSU NCAA tournament single-game assist record – he needs 14 and already has nine at the half.
Coen Carr alley-oop highlight
1H, 0:30: MSU 45, NDSU 25.
The Jeremy-Fears-to-Coen-Carr alley-oop highlight is here.
With less than a minute left in the first half, Fears found Carr for a highlight-reel dunk, giving Fears his ninth assist of the game and Carr another dunk to put on his mixtape.
Cam Ward turning up the defense
1H, 3:24: MSU 37, NDSU 22.
Michigan State’s defense has been exemplary, and guard Cam Ward provided an example on back-to-back chances.
Ward blocked a Treyson Anderson shot attempt in the paint, and on the next possession stole the ball on a pass from Andy Stefonowicz, leading to a transition layup. Ward has eight points, a steal and two blocks in seven minutes of play.
Jeremy Fears on record-setting pace
Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. already has eight assists late in the first half, which puts him on pace with some elite company. The single-game program tournament record is 14 assists, set by Spartans legend Magic Johnson.
Michigan State extends lead
1H, 6:14: MSU 30, NDSU 18.
Michigan State’s offensive run included a layup from seldom-scoring Denham Wojcik to push the Spartans lead to 13 points before back-to-back 3-pointers from Trevian Carson and Tay Smith gave the Bison life.
Good off-ball movement from the Bison gave guard Andy Stefonowicz and open layup to cut the Spartans lead to seven points, but Michigan State guard Kur Teng responded with a 3-pointer to bring the score to 28-18. Soon after, Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. found center Carson Cooper for a pretty alley-oop, and Michigan State is rolling.
Michigan State goes on 14-2 run
1H, 12:20: MSU 21, NDSU 10.
Michigan center Carson Cooper’s and-one layup (and made free-throw) gave the Spartans a 10-8 lead almost immediately after the first break. Two possessions later, Michigan State forward Cam Ward blocked a shot from NDSU guard Markhi Strickland, ran the floor and caught a long Jeremy Fears pass for the transition layup.
Two possessions after that, Spartans guard Trey Fort nailed a 3-pointer and the subsequent free throw on a shooting foul, and then Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler nailed a 3-pointer for himself. Now with an 11-point lead midway through the first half, the Spartans are looking a little more like themselves.
North Dakota State takes early lead
1H, 15:53: NDSU 8, MSU 7.
Each team traded baskets early on, with the Spartans taking their first lead of the game on a Jaxon Kohler 3-pointer to make it 5-4. The Bison have been swarming on defense, trying to annoy Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. as much as possible with some success.
A two-handed dunk from Michigan State center Carson Cooper brought the Spartans deficit down to one point, with the Bison shooting 4-for-5 overall from the field so far, including a couple of easy layups.
Michigan State starters
No surprises with the starting five that Tom Izzo is rolling out today.
North Dakota State starters
The Bison bring a fully healthy lineup to Buffalo to face the Spartans.
Louisville beats South Florida
In the East region, 6-seed Louisville defeated 11-seed South Florida 83-79 and will play the winner of the Michigan State-North Dakota State game in the second round of the tournament.
Michigan State injury report
No surprises from either team with the pregame availability report.
NDSU: None.
MSU: F Kaleb Glenn (out), G Divine Ugochukwu (out).
Michigan State basketball vs North Dakota State time
Michigan State basketball vs North Dakota State channel
Thursday’s first-round game for Michigan State can be watched on TNT and streamed on Sling, which carries TNT.
Michigan State basketball March Madness prediction vs North Dakota State
Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press: 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.
How to watch, stream March Madness games
Each of the 2026 NCAA Tournament games will air live one of CBS, TNT, TBS or truTV, with streaming options on the NCAA March Madness live app, Fubo — which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Watch MSU-NDSU on Sling
Michigan State basketball vs North Dakota State odds
All odds are courtesy of FanDuel as of Monday morning.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State handles North Dakota State 92-67 in March Madness 1st round
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
