Tyson Walker scored 23 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State defeated second seed Marquette 69-60 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, sending coach Tom Izzo’s team back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four. years.
Joey Hauser, a transfer from Marquette, had 14 points and AJ Hoggard had 13. Michigan State (21-12) took over in the final three minutes. The Spartans advanced to play third-seeded Kansas State in the East Region semifinals on Thursday at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
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Michigan State forward Malik Hall (25) celebrates a fumble by Marquette in the second half of a second round college basketball game at the NCAA Men’s Tournament in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, March 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
It’s a familiar situation for Izzo, the 68-year-old Hall of Fame coach who won his March 16 Madness game with a lower-seeded team, the most of any coach. He had shared that record with Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, who retired after this season.
This one was particularly significant. Izzo became the face of a grieving school where three students were killed in a campus shooting on February 13.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a call against Marquette in the second half of a second round men’s college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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«It’s been a long year,» an emotional Izzo said in an on-court interview. «I’m happy for our guys.»
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Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (12) celebrates a three-point basket with head coach Shaka Smart in the second half of a second round college basketball game against Michigan State in the Men’s NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday March 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Olivier-Maxence Prosper led Marquette (29-7) with 16 points and Kam Jones had 14 points, including three 3-pointers.