Michigan State scrapped its way to the Elite Eight with a 73-70 win over Ole Miss on Friday night.
Jaden Akins’ runner in the lane with 1:27 to go gave the No. 2 Spartans a two-point advantage as the two teams traded the lead multiple times over the final eight minutes.
After No. 6 Ole Miss missed two chances to tie the game, Michigan State’s Carson Cooper hit a layup with 40 seconds remaining. The Rebels quickly cut the lead back to two, but were forced to foul to extend the game. Akins drained both his free throws with 27 seconds to go.
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Ole Miss cut the lead to two again, but Tre Holloman buried his two foul shots with 11 seconds to go.
It’s the first trip to the Elite Eight for the Spartans since 2019 — also the last time Michigan State was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. They’ll face top overall seed Auburn on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four on the line. In the previous four tournaments, MSU made just one Sweet 16 appearance and wasn’t seeded any higher than No. 7.
After the game, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said that he didn’t think the Spartans played great, but said that Ole Miss was the toughest team his squad had played “in years.”
The Rebels controlled the first half but entered the break with just a two-point lead. Michigan State never led during the first 20 minutes and didn’t take its first lead until there was 7:50 to go.
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After that, one of the more compelling games of the NCAA tournament unfolded. The game was tied at four different points and neither had an advantage of more than one possession until Akins hit those two free throws. Both looked more than capable of advancing to the Elite Eight, even as Ole Miss weathered a scoring drought and a Michigan State run.
The Spartans trailed 48-39 with 12:15 to go and went on a 14-2 run to take a 53-50 lead. But as soon as Michigan State jumped out to that three-point lead, Ole Miss’ Sean Pedulla tied the game with a 3-pointer. He led all scorers with 24 points. MSU’s Jase Richardson had 20, while Coen Carr had 15 and a highlight-reel steal and dunk.
Holloman hit two more free throws with four seconds to go to give Michigan State a six-point lead. That margin got cut by three when Matthew Murrell hit a meaningless 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
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Well, it was meaningless for the game’s outcome. But not against the spread. Michigan State was a 3.5-point favorite as Ole Miss covered with the shot. The Spartans were the most-bet team at BetMGM ahead of Friday’s slate and also had the most money of any team to cover the spread.
That cover is of little consolation, however. The Rebels have still never made a men’s Elite Eight in school history after they appeared on the precipice of doing so Friday night. However, a trip to the Elite Eight probably shouldn’t be ruled out in the near future. Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard is 13-6 in the NCAA tournament across stints at four schools and Beard’s teams have won at least one game in his six tournament appearances.
