Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 68-52 win at Oregon

1. MSU puts together some great performances to earn a win in a game they could have lost

EUGENE, Ore. — That’s how you win the Big Ten. Not this Michigan State performance – the Spartans will have to be better in several ways against tougher tests later in conference. But it’s games like this — when you find yourself in a road battle against a hurting team that looks dialed in and ready for battle — that partly decide championships and seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

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For the second straight game in the Pacific Northwest, MSU wasn’t at its best in some ways like this season. For the second straight game, he stood out behind the slick play of point guard Jeremy Fears, and this time with standout games from two other members of his core four, Carson Cooper and Coen Carr.

On a night where Jaxon Kohler found himself in trouble early and never started to attack (taking just three shots), Carson Cooper was as close as he will ever get to Hakeem Olajuwon, scoring a career-high 19 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, to go with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Coen Carr, with 15 points and eight rebounds, played with a determination we hadn’t seen from him in recent games.

And so MSU, which trailed 38-35 and led just 42-41, came away with a game that might have gone differently if not for some strong performances and a finish in which the Spartans showed a lot of the grit we’ve seen all season.

MSU, now 17-2 and 7-1 in the Big Ten, is winning against Maryland (Saturday) and at Rutgers (next Tuesday) far from being 9-1 heading into the championship game when Michigan visits the Breslin Center on Jan. 30.

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Coen Carr responds emphatically – and it should be his every night

Tom Izzo won’t have to defend Coen Carr after this one. Three days after declaring it would be a “cold day in hell” before abandoning Carr after Carr’s uninspiring performance at Oregon and struggling in January, Carr delivered an emphatic performance — best characterized by his driving layup *by* Oregon’s Sean Stewart to give the Spartans a 53-42 lead with 7:15 to play.

This play testified to his state of mind and his aggressiveness all night long. Forget shooting – hitting 3 of 5 3-pointers is good and it would be exceptional for him on this team if he hit them more regularly. But it was the purpose he played with all night that stood out.

Carr finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. But he also managed eight rebounds and delivered three assists, including two very nice actions, in 27 minutes.

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It was a heckuvan response to a lackluster start to the month. He also showed what he’s capable of – on the glass and as a playmaker – and that’s to be expected every night.

A Trey Fort sighting – when MSU needed it

Trey Fort has become the odd man out on the MSU basketball team for most of this season. He’s behind Divine Ugochukwu, Kur Teng, and Jordan Scott as a shooter, largely because he hasn’t shown he can offer anything at a higher level than those three. Ugochukwu gives the Spartans secondary ball-handling, Teng is the group’s best shooter and Scott is the best defender, rebounder and all-around impactor.

If Fort was hitting shots at a rate better than 29% from 3 and 32% from the floor – before Tuesday night – or being a difference maker defensively, he would have a bigger role. Instead, he gets single-digit minutes most nights, including just three against Northwestern, two against Indiana and five at Washington. To his credit, his body language and attitude remained positive, at least in public places and, obviously, around his teammates. He was

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This is important because he has a much bigger role to play. And still a competent player and shooter, and someone who can create his own shot — even if at times early this season it wasn’t the shot Tom Izzo and Co. wanted.

On Tuesday at Oregon, he played 15 minutes, including the final 8:31 of the first half and more than six minutes in the second (still a long stretch). He was what he hasn’t been consistently for MSU — a better option than Scott or Teng, neither of whom played aggressively or well.

Fort hit two jump shots in the first half, the first to put MSU ahead 23-22, then 25-22. Both arrived at a time when the Spartans were struggling to find offense. In the second half, he entered the game with 13:52 left with MSU trailing 38-35 and completely out of shape offensively. On MSU’s second possession with him in the game, Fort came off a screen and buried an 18-foot jumper. He then made a 3 from the right side to give the Spartans a 42-38 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

Fort is a fearless shooter, which is both a strength and a weakness. That evening, it was a strength, his confidence needed.

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MSU was plus-12 with Fort in the game over those 15 minutes and finished an efficient 4-for-5 from the floor in two extended stints. These were not planned stays. But he will have more in the future because of this. And MSU will likely be quicker to keep up with him when others aren’t producing. He got his opportunity and delivered when the Spartans needed him to.

“Trey, the play comes to him, instead of forcing the play,” Izzo said. “I was not only impressed, but I was excited for him. It was a tough time for him.”

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.

This article originally appeared in the Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball pulls away late from Oregon | 3 quick takes