Coen Carr gets 1st career start for Michigan State in homecoming at Sweet 16

ATLANTA (AP) — Coen Carr got his first career start for Michigan State in a homecoming at the NCAA Tournament's South Region semifinals on Friday night.

Carr, a native of suburban Stockbridge, took the opening tipoff for the second-seeded Spartans as they faced Mississippi in the Sweet 16.

The 6-foot-6 forward got the nod ahead of regular starting center Szymon Zapala in what appeared to be a move to give Michigan State more athleticism in the frontcourt.

Carr was playing his 71st career game for the Spartans. He came in averaging 8.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in about 20 minutes of playing time.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.