Michigan State ends Sweet 16 mini-drought
Michigan State is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 after rolling past Minnesota 70-50 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.
The Spartans (30-6) came out making shots at a blistering pace and were never seriously threatened, a stark contrast to their nervewracking first-round win over Bradley on Thursday.
The win in the battle of Big Ten teams sends the second-seeded Spartans to an East Region semifinal against LSU in Washington, D.C.
The Spartans made 9 of their first 10 shots on their way to building a 20-point lead in the first 14 minutes. Minnesota managed to pull within single digits briefly in the second half before Big Ten player of the year Cassius Winston took matters into his hands.
Xavier Tillman had 14 points, Winston added 13 with nine assists, and the Spartans shot 57.1 percent.
Amir Coffey had 25 points to lead the 10thseeded Gophers, who shot a season-worst 30.5 percent and made only 2 of 22 3-pointers.
Minnesota (23-14) had played its best game of the season in beating Louisville in the first round, but it struggled shooting early and was hamstrung by the absence of forward Jordan Murphy. The Gophers’ No. 1 all-time rebounder and No. 2 scorer spent most of the first half behind the bench stretching his tight back. He was limited to four minutes, his fewest since his freshman year.
Murphy, whose absence was a big reason MSU held a 45-19 rebounding advantage, subbed in for 10 seconds in the final two minutes. Gophers fans chanted his name as he came out and went down the bench hugging coaches and teammates.
It was the first time Big Ten teams met in the tournament since 2000 and at the earliest point ever.
LSU 69, MARYLAND 67: Tremont Waters drove by three defenders and scooped in a banking layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give third-seeded LSU a victory over sixthseeded Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Maryland’s Eric Ayala got off a final shot from midcourt, but it didn’t reach the rim. LSU players mobbed Waters under the basket. They could have done the same to Skylar Mays, who scored 16 points and hit a huge 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that put the Tigers (28-6) up 67-64. Jalen Smith answered on the other end, sending the packed crowd into a frenzy and prompting LSU to call timeout. Interim coach Tony Benford called a final play for Waters, the dynamic sophomore who has been terrific all season. Water got a pick from big man Naz Reid, drove into the lane and somehow got off the winner.