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Tom Izzo Had Relatable Reaction to Start Time for Michigan State Second Round Game

The Spartans have kept their fans up late this March.

Patrick Andres

Izzo and the Spartans are onto the second round
Izzo and the Spartans are onto the second round / Screengrab / @itsAntWright on X (formerly Twitter)
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When Michigan State was drawn into Cleveland for the first and second rounds of the NCAA men's tournament, it probably didn't expect to play its opening game well past 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

That's the fate that befell the Spartans, however—and they made the most of it, overcoming a slow start to demolish Bryant 87–62.

Did this performance earn Michigan State an earlier start time for the second round Sunday? It did not. The Spartans will play New Mexico at 8:40 p.m. Eastern Time. When told of this development, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had a priceless reaction.

After working through a pained facial expression, he deadpanned, "Guess it's an hour earlier."

Izzo will see a familiar face in the second round, as Lobos coach Richard Pitino led Minnesota from 2014 to '21. In 2019, their two squads met in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Des Moines—with the Spartans winning 70–50.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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