Last Night in College Basketball: Michigan State’s Coen Carr Put on a Show

Men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball – there’s no shortage of college ball, every night.Don’t worry, we’re here to help you figure out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in college basketball.Air CarrMichigan State’s Tom Izzo might not have hugs or kisses for his Michigan State team, but you have to imagine that even he had something nice to say about the job Coen Carr did on Thursday against San Jose State. The No. 17 Spartans weren’t quite as dominant as they probably should have been against an unranked opponent, but then again, check this out.Carr was flying. Check out these alternative angles! It’s a slam. That wasn’t it for him, either; that one just happened to occur early on in the game. Carr also had a major dunk left in him. Alley oop time, baby, to put Michigan State up 24-9.And then there was a reverse dunk on another alley oop later on. Maybe not as outright wowing as that initial dunk, no, but all three of these emphatic slams in one game is a pretty good day at the office.Carr ended up with just 8 points on the night — yes, three of his four made buckets were all show-stopping dunks — but the junior forward did add 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and a steal to that, so all told, a solid effort. The Spartans also had four players reach double-digits in scoring, with three of those notching at least 15 points, so they didn’t end up needing more than what they got out of Carr. And even if Izzo wanted more, hey, at least we got to see a show.UCLA handled North CarolinaIt wasn’t a top-10 matchup, since North Carolina came into the game ranked at No. It wasn’t a top-10 matchup, since North Carolina came into the game ranked at No. It was close. You wouldn’t have known it from the Bruins’ performance, though, as they took out the Tar Heels 78-60, outscoring them in every quarter besides the first en route to a convincing W.While the outcome was in more question early, UCLA stepped on the gas in the third quarter and didn’t step back off: they made seven shots in a row to start putting some distance between themselves and North Carolina, and held on from there.Once UCLA got the lead back in the third, they clamped down defensively: UNC got within two when they scored their 46th point of the evening with 4:30 to go in the third quarter, but wouldn’t score again until 12 seconds into the fourth quarter, by which time UCLA was up by 10.For the game, UNC was held to 34.8% shooting, and were dominated on the boards, too, with UCLA winning the rebound battle 46 to 30. When you make fewer shots and can’t convert your opponent’s misses into turnovers, well, you don’t beat a No. Purdue wins matchup against top-10 teamsPurdue may have dropped from No. Purdue wins top-10 matchupPurdue might have fallen from No. They were ranked No.2 in the top 25, after beating Oakland by only 10 points. But they could prove it was an anomaly on Thursday when they played No. 8 Alabama. And Purdue was up to the task: while the margin of victory wasn’t massive here, either, that’s not what’s most important against a top-10 team. Purdue won 87-80. And they did so on the road, too.Fletcher Loyer didn’t bring much to the Boilermakers’ attack, which you think would be a problem: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 31 minutes isn’t nearly enough against a top-10 opponent. Braden Smith, a senior guard, was able to lift Loyer and Purdue, scoring 29 points with 7 rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Trey Kauffman Renn and South Dakota State Transfer Oscar Cluff grabbed 15 and 11 rebounds respectively. Purdue won the battle below the basket and Smith was on fire, allowing the Boilermakers to win despite Loyer’s quiet performance and the bench. Pittsburgh’s freshman forward Roman Siulepa drove to the basket against West Virginia, and despite the long run it looked like he was going to maneuver and muscle his way through and score through sheer force of will. It was a sheer force of determination that came up behind him and smacked the ball away at the last moment. Lorient managed to catch up, and decided that a powerful block from behind would be the best solution. West Virginia defeated Pitt 71-49. Lorient had a pretty quiet game overall, but did pick up 3 blocks to go with his 6 points and 2 steals, so he certainly made his presence felt even without a bunch of scores or boards.Whittaker scored 29, but it wasn’t enoughThursday’s leading scorers were Purdue’s Braden Smith and Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker, who both put up 29 points. While Smith’s Boilermakers won their matchup, the Bulldogs weren’t as lucky, despite Whittaker’s exceptional performance. She also added seven rebounds, a block and all of these points in only 23 minutes. Gonzaga was outscored 23-13 in the fourth quarter by Colorado State, though, and those unplayed minutes for Whittaker loomed large given the way she was shooting: the freshman forward went 12-for-18 overall and 4-for-7 on threes.The end result was the Rams winning 70-66, though it can’t all be put on Whittaker not playing more minutes. Three of Gonzaga’s starters combined for all of 13 points, and the bench added just 11 — compare that to Colorado State, where four of the five starters put up at least a dozen points. Whittaker’s 29 represented 44% of her team’s total points, which can work if a player drops 35 or 40, but it’s a tougher assignment at 29, especially when your opponent puts forth a team-wide effort scoring.Still! What a game from Whittaker — Gonzaga might put a few more minutes on the freshman’s plate the next time she’s locked on.Fairfield pulls throughFairfield would end up moving to 3-0 in an 80-72 win over South Florida, but heading into the fourth quarter, the Stags were up by just one point over the Bulls in what had been a back-and-forth contest. Fairfield dominated the first quarter, winning 25-16. But South Florida fought back over the following two quarters to take the lead 61-60. Stags defense was on point in the fourth, however, as they held the Bulls scoreless. With 8:42 left in the fourth, South Florida was actually up 63-60 and were 63% to win by win probability, but that’s when Fairfield turned it on: Lauren Beach made a layup, assisted by Kaity L’Amoreaux, to put Fairfield ahead, and then L’Amoreaux stole the ball, got the offensive rebound on a missed shot and sank a three to widen the gap to 68-63. She just kept popping up that quarter, and would finish with a game-high 28 points while adding 8 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal and block each.While the junior guard shot just 7-20 on the night, including 4-for-14 on 3-point attempts, she made up for it by going a perfect 10-for-10 at the line, including four in the fourth quarter alone.A big win for Fairfield on a night when Meghan Anderson – who scored her 1,000th point earlier this season just 67 games into her career – was quiet, with just 5 points on 1-for-9 shooting.Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Follow leagues, players and teams to receive a customized newsletter every day! FOLLOW Personalize your FOX Sport experience by following your favorites
2025-11-14 15:54:01