UCLA men’s basketball faces a tough test at Michigan State on Tuesday in East Lansing. However, unlike Michigan — whose offense is one of the best in the country and can score very quickly — Michigan State does not have an especially high ceiling on offense. The Spartans are not a good jump-shooting team. They can and will struggle to score at times. The key is to lock down the defensive glass and make MSU a one-and-done team. The Bruins have to bring their lunch pail to the court and contain rugged Spartan star Coen Carr. Spartans Wire talked about Carr after Michigan State’s loss to Wisconsin:
“If you’re looking for a sliver of happiness out of this brutal showing, I give you Coen Carr. Carr was one of the few bright spots in this blowout loss, finishing the game with 19 points for the Spartans. The thing that stood out to me is he was looking for his shot early and knocked down some timely jumpers before the game got out of control.
“Carr is the key factor for the Spartans to achieve big success this season, and while his performance Friday night didn’t make a difference in the outcome, it could in mid- to-late March. Michigan State will need more of what it got from Carr on Friday if they’re going to go on a run in March.”
If UCLA can prevent Coen Carr from going wild in this game, and the Bruins can turn this into a jump-shooting game in which Michigan State does not successfully crash the offensive glass for easy putback baskets, the Bruins can make this a contest. If, on the other hand, Carr demolishes them in the paint and on the backboard, it’s hard to see how UCLA can ultimately win, all other things being relatively equal.
UCLA’s toughness has to shine through, and the Bruins can’t take plays or possessions off. They have to be relentless and cannot lose focus for even three or four minutes out of 40. Coen Carr will punish them if they do.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA men’s hoops has to be tough enough to handle Coen Carr
Reporting by Matt Zemek, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
