How Michigan State basketball beat Mississippi State and what it means

What it means

Notch another "upset" win for Tom Izzo. Yes, Michigan State was favored but last I checked, a 9-seed is lower than an 8-seed. This was the team we all thought the could be but rarely saw over the span of 30 games, and because Izzo is some kind of wizard, he tapped into his magic the second the ball tipped in the first game of the tournament.

Any time we've seen the Spartans play like this, they'll follow it up with a dud, but that was the regular season. That was with regular-season Jaden Akins, regular-season Mady Sissoko, and regular-season Xavier Booker. This team dug a little deeper, focused a little harder, and actually made shots. When the Spartans play like this, UNC will have their hands full.

The point spread opened at UNC as 4-point favorite which smaller than I would have expected (down to 3.5 in some places). Vegas gives Michigan State a chance and they're not in the business of giving away free money. The sportsbook knows that the Spartans can beat almost anyone in this tournament when they played like they did against Mississippi State.

After what could be considered as Izzo's worst coaching job, it would be just like him to coach his team to a Final Four after winning 18 games in the regular season.