College basketball rankings: Carson Cooper carries Michigan State as Spartans survive scare vs. Northwestern
Cooper caught fire late to help MSU avoid a home upset loss to the Wildcats
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Four different Michigan State players are averaging double-figures in points this season -- among them Carson Cooper, a 6-foot-11 center who is starting consistently for the first time in his college career and having his best year to date. On Thursday night against Northwestern, he was terrific and helped the Spartans overcome a second-half deficit and avoid getting upset at home.
Final score: Michigan State 76, Northwestern 66.
Cooper took six shots, made all six of them and finished with a career-high 18 points, nine rebounds and a block. He was also 6-of-8 from the free-throw line while Tom Izzo's Spartans improved to 14-2 on the season, 4-1 in the Big Ten.
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"[Izzo] wants me to be more assertive," Cooper said. "He wants me to get more involved in the offense"
As they say, Cooper understood the assignment. After taking just one shot in Monday's win over USC, again, he took six shots against Northwestern. He reached double-figures in points for the fourth time in his past eight games and is now averaging 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 55.6% from the field.
Michigan State remains No. 11 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Michigan is No. 1 for the 31st consecutive day. Next up for the Spartans is Tuesday's game with Indiana inside the Breslin Center. Their next contest against a currently ranked team won't come until they host Michigan on Jan. 30.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | L.J. Cason finished with 14 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 74-72 win at Penn State. The Wolverines' next game is Saturday against Wisconsin. | -- | 14-0 |
| 2 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 101-76 win over Kansas State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at TCU. | -- | 15-0 |
| 3 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds in Wednesday's 70-60 win at Baylor. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 15-0 |
| 4 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 29 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 96-90 win over Alabama. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at LSU. | -- | 15-0 |
| 5 |  | Braylon Mullins finished with 24 points and three assists in Wednesday's 103-98 overtime win at Providence. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against DePaul. | -- | 15-1 |
| 6 |  | Richie Saunders finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 104-76 win over Arizona State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Utah. | -- | 14-1 |
| 7 |  | Braden Smith finished with 23 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 81-73 win over Washington. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Penn State. | -- | 14-1 |
| 8 |  | Graham Ike finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday's 89-77 win over Santa Clara. The Zags' next game is Thursday at Washington State. | -- | 17-1 |
| 9 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 27 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 84-73 win at Louisville. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against SMU. | -- | 14-1 |
| 10 |  | Braden Frager finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Monday's 72-69 win at Ohio State. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at Indiana. | -- | 15-0 |
| 11 |  | Carson Cooper finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 76-66 win over Northwestern. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Indiana. | -- | 14-2 |
| 12 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 23 points and five assists in Tuesday's 69-65 win over Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Baylor. | -- | 14-1 |
| 13 |  | Latrell Wrightsell missed eight of the 12 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 96-90 loss at Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Texas. | -- | 11-4 |
| 14 |  | Darius Acuff finished with 26 points and nine assists in Wednesday's 94-87 win at Ole Miss. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 12-3 |
| 15 |  | Keaton Wagler finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 81-55 win over Rutgers. The Illini's next game is Sunday at Iowa. | -- | 12-3 |
| 16 |  | LeJuan Watts missed eight of the nine shots he attempted in Tuesday's 69-65 loss at Houston. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Colorado. | -- | 11-4 |
| 17 |  | Henri Veesaar missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 97-83 loss at SMU. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Wake Forest. | -- | 13-2 |
| 18 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 32 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 104-100 overtime win over TCU. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at West Virginia. | -- | 11-4 |
| 19 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 34 points and five assists in Tuesday's 85-71 win over Texas. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Florida. | -- | 11-4 |
| 20 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 92-77 win over Georgia. The Gators' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 10-5 |
| 21 |  | Bennett Stirtz missed 11 of the 17 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 70-67 loss at Minnesota. The Hawkeyes' next game is Sunday against Illinois. | -- | 12-3 |
| 22 |  | Ryan Conwell missed 11 of the 19 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 84-73 loss to Duke. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Boston College. | -- | 11-4 |
| 23 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 84-60 win over Cal. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Stanford. | -- | 13-2 |
| 24 |  | RJ Godfrey finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 74-70 win over SMU. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Notre Dame. | -- | 13-3 |
| 25 |  | Boopie Miller missed 10 of the 15 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 74-70 loss at Clemson. The Mustangs' next game is Saturday at Duke. | -- | 12-3 |
| 26 |  | Kellen Thames finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 71-62 win at VCU. The Billikens' next game is Saturday at La Salle. | -- | 14-1 |
