CLEVELAND – Get ready for another late night on Sunday, Michigan State fans. Not as late as Friday night, at least, if that’s any consolation.
The 2-seed Spartans will face 10-seed New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament’s second round at approximately 8:40 p.m. Sunday. TNT will air the action from Rocket Arena as the Spartans and Lobos fight over a spot in the tournament’s Sweet 16. It’s a different channel, but the same broadcast crew from Friday night – Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel and Jon Rothstein.
MSU tipped off against 15-seed Bryant a little after 10:10 p.m. Friday in the penultimate game of the round of 64. The Spartans got off to a shaky start before blowing by the Bulldogs in the second half, winning 87-62. Before MSU and Bryant hit the court in Cleveland, New Mexico eliminated 7-seed Marquette 75-66.
MSU, in its 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament, will now play a second game for the fourth year in a row. The Spartans’ last trip to the Sweet 16 was just two seasons ago, when they fell to 3-seed Kansas State in overtime in New York City as a 7-seed.
Sunday’s game pits MSU’s Tom Izzo against a familiar foe in New Mexico’s Richard Pitino, who spent eight seasons as the head coach at Minnesota from 2013-21.
“Well, I was a good friend of Richard’s when he was there because he went through some tough times that I thought were unfair, if I was to be honest with you,” Izzo said after the Bryant game. “But he’s done a hell of a job down there. I’ve talked to him a couple times periodically. … Good coach, another team that — this team has some size inside. This team had size everywhere.
“It’s a good team, and I think they beat a very good Marquette team. Shaka (Smart) is a good friend, and those guys played hard as hell, too. … That’s a good team. They beat UCLA, they beat USC, those teams beat us, and I know Richard, and I know Rick. Damn families ruining my life here.”
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