Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s staunch defense of Coen Carr amid slump will warm your heart

Michigan State took an 80-63 victory over Washington on the road on Saturday. Coen Carr has been the subject of praise from Tom Izzo earlier in the season. Regardless, in the game with Washington, Carr once again struggled on offense. After the contest, Izzo made a stand for his player.

“I feel for Coen because I know how hard he’s worked on it. There are a couple of things we’re going to work a little harder on when teams play him like that, and that’s going to be on me,” Izzo told the media after the game, per Fox Sports.

Carr was great in December, averaging nearly 14 points per game, but so far in the new year, he is scoring just eight points per game. Further, he has scored eight or fewer points on four of the past five games. This comes after scoring 10 or more in five of six games in December.

“Coen was great with his attitude and his defense,” Izzo said. “He’s just not playing as well offensively right now, and we’re going to fight through that. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I give up on Coen Carr.”

Carr was solid in multiple other aspects of the game. He has four rebounds, two assists, and a block, while being a constant presence inside for the Spartans. He was great at contesting threes in the game with Washington. The Huskies shot just 16 percent from three against Michigan State, while also turning over the ball 12 times.

While Carr has struggled on offense in recent games, the Spartans are still winning. They have won four straight and eight of their last nine games.

Michigan State is 16-2 on the season, and 6-1 in conference play, with the only loss being a two-point loss to Nebraska on the road. They return to the court on Tuesday on the road against Oregon.

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