On Thursday, March 19, No. 3 seeded Michigan State took down No. 14 seeded North Dakota State 92-67 in the first round of the East region in the NCAA National Tournament. The Spartans jumped out to a 45-25 halftime lead before also outscoring the Bison 47-42 in the second half.
NDSU struggled shooting from three-point range, going 6-25 (24 percent) during the matchup. The Bison shot 25-57 (44 percent) overall from the field and 11-17 (65 percent) from the free throw line.
The Spartans won the rebounding battle 35-23 along with tallying 26 assists to NDSU’s 13.
Damari Wheeler-Thomas led the Bison with 16 points. Trevian Carson added 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while Treyson Anderson tallied 10 points. Noah Feddersen chipped in seven points and one steal off the bench.
Michigan State was led by 20 points and 10 rebounds from Carson Cooper. Additionally, Cam Ward added 13 points and two blocks off the bench while Jaxon Kohler added 12 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Fears Jr. tallied seven points and 11 assists.
NDSU ended the 2025-26 season with a 27-7 record along with reaching the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time since 2009.
The Spartans rose to 25-7 on the season and will play No. 6 seeded Louisville in the Round of 32 on Saturday.
