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The Sweet 16 for the 2019 NCAA Tournament continued on Friday night with one Big Ten team in action. Michigan State faced off against LSU for a shot to advance to the Elite Eight. It figured to be one of the better backcourt battles in the Big Dance.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Game of the Day:
-No. 2 Michigan State Spartans 80, No. 3 LSU Tigers 63
To be honest, this really wasn’t all that great of a game. Not because the teams were bad, but more because of just how well Michigan State played. The Spartans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. LSU had a run or two, but the Tigers could never close things in. All told, Michigan State grabbed an 80-63 win.
The key player for Michigan State on Friday night was Aaron Henry. The freshman finished with an impressive 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. It was arguably the best performance of his career so far and came in a massive moment.
For Michigan State, this is obviously a massive win. It’s the program’s first trip to the Elite Eight since 2015 and will give the team a chance to make it back to the Final Four on Sunday. The Spartans also improved to 31-6 overall with the win. Notably, Michigan State has now won eight in a row and 13 of its last 14 games.
The Spartans will now prepare to face off against Duke on Sunday afternoon. KenPom favors Michigan State in the matchup. Buckle up.