Michigan State drops Louisville in overtime for spot in the Final Four
There's no denying that Tom Izzo knows how to coach in March.
Seventh-seeded Michigan State advanced to the Final Four with a 76-70 overtime victory over Louisville, sending the Spartans back to the Final Four for the first time since 2010.
It's the seventh time Izzo has taken Michigan State to the Final Four and the ninth time the Spartans have advanced to that point overall. Izzo also becomes the first coach to lead a team seeded fifth or lower to three separate Final Fours.
Sunday's game didn't start out looking like it would have a happy ending for the Spartans as they fell behind 40-32 at the half, equaling the most points they allowed in a first half this season.
Apparently that was part of Izzo's game plan, though, as Michigan State has now won four of its last five Elite Eight games after trailing at the half. The win also snapped the Cardinals' 94-game winning streak when leading by at least six points at the break.
Michigan State struggled with ball control, committing seven turnovers in the first half and 12 for the game. For comparison, the Spartans had 11 total turnovers in their previous two games combined.
Travis Trice was again the star, scoring 17 points and adding five assists and four rebounds. He'd topped the 20-point mark in each of Michigan State's last two games. Denzel Valentine chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Bryn Forbes had 14 off the bench, including a huge 3-pointer to start overtime.
Wayne Blackshear did all he could for the Cardinals, scoring a game-high 28 points, including going 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. Montrezl Harrell started hot with 12 of Louisville's first 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting, but made just one of his next six shots and added only four more points the rest of the game.
Louisville seemed to run out of gas in the extra frame, getting outscored 11-5 while going just 1-of-7 from the floor with a pair of turnovers.
Michigan State defeated the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds on its way to the East Region title and will now take on Duke in the Final Four.