Spartans beat Louisville 77-69, advance to their 17th Sweet Sixteen under Izzo

Coen Carr recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 16 assists as Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo, beating Louisville 77-69 on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Fears added 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting but did the most damage for Michigan State with his precision passing. The country’s assists leader, who came in averaging 9.2 per game, became the first Big Ten player with 10 or more assists in each of the first two games of an NCAA tourney. 

Third-seeded Michigan State will face a familiar opponent, having lost 76-69 against UConn in an exhibition at the start of the season and splitting two meetings with UCLA. The Spartans won 82-59 at home on Feb. 17, and lost 88-84 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

Ryan Conwell led No. 6 seed Louisville (24-11) with 21 points and Adrian Wooley scored 17. The Cardinals were seeking their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015, when they reached the Elite Eight under Rick Pitino.