Second-seeded Michigan State one and done
Middle Tennessee State becomes the eighth No. 15 to pull off upset since 1985
ST. LOUIS— Reality hit Middle Tennessee State guard Jaqawn Raymond as he walked triumphantly off the floor. Giddy Potts thought it might come later, once he returned to the team hotel and flipped on the TV.
It sunk in immediately for Michigan State.
Relying on the same balanced scoring that carried them to the NCAA Tournament, the No. 15 seed Blue Raiders ended the second-seeded Spartans’ title hopes in convincing fashion Friday. They never trailed in a 90-81 first-round victory that sent brackets around the country into trash cans.
“We wanted to win this game as bad as anybody wanted us to win,” said Potts, the Blue Raiders’ hot-shooting sophomore guard. “We played our (butts) off today.”
Reggie Upshaw had 21 points and Potts finished with 19 for Middle Tennessee State (25-9), which became the eighth No. 15 seed to knock off a No. 2 since seeding began in 1985. The last time it happened was 2013, when Florida Gulf Coast beat Georgetown on its way to the Sweet 16.
The Blue Raiders will try to do the same Sunday when they face No. 10 Syracuse in a Midwest region that has been rife with upsets. Nine teams seeded 10th or lower had won through the tournament’s first 28 games, including four — Syracuse, Middle Tennessee State, No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock — in the Midwest.
The longest shots came through on Friday. Hawaii, 13th in the South, beat California 77-66, with Mississauga’s Stefan Jankovic scoring 16 points for the Big West champions. Stephen F. Austin, the 14th seed in the East, dumped West Virginia 7056 to extend the best winning streak in the nation to 21 games.
And, in between, the Blue Raiders shocked the Spartans.
“I’ll be honest with you, in my wildest dreams I didn’t think they’d hit some of the shots they hit,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “We didn’t guard them good, but man, they made some shots.”
The Spartans (29-6) were a trendy pick to win the national championship after capturing the Big Ten Tournament title. Part of it had to do with the experience of Denzel Valentine and the seniors, and part of it had to do with Izzo’s post-season pedigree.
“I’m more mad and disappointed because I know what this team could accomplish,” Valentine said. “It kind of fell apart, and it just stinks right now because I know the capability our team had.” The Spartans’ Matt Costello matched a career-best with 22 points, but it wasn’t enough to offset Valentine’s miserable afternoon. The senior had 13 points and 12 assists, but he also had six turnovers — one of them coming with the Spartans trailing 79-76 and less than three minutes to go.
Michigan State twice had chances to tie the game after that, but Valentine missed an open three-pointer from the top of the key, and Bryn Forbes missed another. The Blue Raiders eventually scored on back- to-back runouts to establish some breathing room, then coaxed the final few seconds off the clock.
Darnell Harris and Perrin Buford scored 15 apiece, and Raymond had 11, as the Conference USA champion Blue Raiders won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1989.
Not that they haven’t made a statement before: They beat Kentucky in the first round in 1982.
They never seemed intimidated by the Spartans, roaring to a 15-2 lead in the opening minutes and slowly getting the Syracuse and Dayton fans in the building on their side.
Michigan State chipped away at its deficit but never managed to make an extended run. Valentine was saddled with two fouls and rendered ineffective most of the way, and the backcourt of Forbes and Eron Harris combined for four turnovers while managing a single point.
Valentine’s frustration reached its apex after he committed back-toback turnovers in the second half. With the Blue Raiders leading 51-43, Valentine stalked back to the huddle and slammed his hand into the floor.
Michigan State slowly trimmed the lead to 65-64 on a basket by Costello with eight minutes to play, but the Blue Raiders scored on their next six trips down floor.