The Michigan State Spartans survived an early test from the New Mexico Lobos, pulling away to defeat them, 71-63, and advance to the Sweet 16. 

This is Tom Izzo’s second trip to the second weekend in the last three seasons. He will face Chris Beard’s Ole Miss Rebels on Friday in Atlanta. 

Nothing was falling for the Spartans early in this game, as they fell into a double-digit hole in the first half. New Mexico got help from its role players, like Mustapha Amzil, who hit his first five shots from the field early. 

Izzo was not pleased with the Spartans’ defense early, and their offense did not match. They settled in defensively in the second half, which led to more offensive opportunities. 

However, Izzo’s second-leading scorer, Jase Richardson, struggled for the majority of the game. He finished with just six points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field and missed all five 3-pointers he attempted. 

You might think that if Richardson shot that poorly throughout the game, MSU would have been on the verge of an upset late. 

Not this team. 

Despite Richardson’s struggles, the Spartans took control of the game late and even pushed the lead up to nine. In fact, it was two clutch plays from Richardson that helped close out the game in the second half. 

He drew a foul behind the 3-point line and knocked down all three free throws. Then, he grabbed a clutch offensive rebound, put it in the basket, and drew another foul. 

But that was it for Richardson. He was otherwise ineffective on offense. 

Time and time again, someone on this MSU team will step up when one of the top players struggles. Frankie Fidler scored 10 points off the bench this time and hit important buckets when the team needed them. 

Games like this Round of 32 matchup show how deep this Spartan team is and how tough it is to game plan for it. Beard will have his work cut out for him when studying MSU over the next week. 

This upcoming game against the Rebels will be tough. Beard’s squad defends at a high level and has plenty of scorers. 

However, the Rebels will have to defend for all 40 minutes against fresh legs the entire time. Beard should not count on Richardson to struggle again. 

The Spartans head to Atlanta with revenge on their minds.

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