Once again, it wasn't easy, but Michigan State basketball found a way to hold on for a big-time win over New Mexico, 71-63.
Michigan State fell behind by as many as 10 points in the first half before coming back in the second half to beat the Lobos thanks to strong defensive effort and some clutch plays by Frankie Fidler and Jaden Akins. They willed the Spartans to a big win and without them, the Spartans are headed home early on Sunday night.
Instead, they'll be playing on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET against Chris Beard and Ole Miss. This is the perfect chance for Tom Izzo to get his revenge on Beard after the 2019 Final Four loss.
Here are some quick takes from Sunday's win.
1. Veteran leaders stepped up
As I've already mention, Jaden Akins and Frankie Fidler made some huge plays down the stretch to make sure Michigan State moved on to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
Akins was making plays at the rim, defensively, and he even hit two big threes to finish with a game-high 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting with one huge block. Fidler, too, was great, especially in the second half when he did his most damage. He finished with 10 points and a block on 4-of-7 shooting.
Without these two, MSU is headed home for good.
2. MSU found a way to win in Jase Richardson's worst game
This is a great sign.
Michigan State had gotten an elite version of Jase Richardson for the past month-plus, but he didn't quite show up on Sunday, going 1-for-10 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep, scoring just six points on 10 percent shooting. And yet Michigan State was able to find a way to win -- and cover -- with its best player completely neutralized and not hitting anything.
The Spartans haven't had to rely on one guy all season but with Richardson stepping up lately, he's taken a lot of pressure off the rest of the team. Fortunately, they took some pressure off of him on Sunday night.
3. Time to figure out the free throw issue
For about two weeks now, Michigan State has been cold from the free throw line. In fact, the Spartans have been far below their season average in the past three weeks and that had been a concern because this is the time of year when you really want to make them all because it's the difference between advancing and going home.
Michigan State went just 19-for-28 on Sunday night and against a better team than New Mexico, that's going to be a losing effort.
This team needs to figure it out at the free throw line -- and quickly.